Saying Goodbye To Grandparents

Thankfully it doesn’t happen often, but it’s not easy to watch when it does.

I’m talking about watching my kids line up in the garage to wave goodbye to their grandparents who are headed back to Utah.

Our two oldest children are old enough to remember what it was like living close to family which we did for a year before moving back to Seattle. The two youngest children assume all grandparents live a thousand miles away and getting to see them is something that happens twice a year.

The kids count down the number of days to their next visit as if it were a more important occasion than Christmas, which of course, it is. When their grandparents are in town, the kids do everything they can to coax a few extra days out of them. Sometimes it works.

When we drop my father off at the airport after a short visit, the kids are a wreck for hours. They love when he visits, but the goodbyes are painful. As a father, those are difficult tears to wipe away.

Tonight the goodbyes played out to a backdrop of cold rain falling against an angry sky. My in-laws said their goodbyes before slowing backing down our driveway in their new Prius.

I stood back and wondered how long till the rain turned to snow and those energetic waves turned to tears.

Microsoft Office on the iPad

Matt Hickey reporting for the Daily:

According to sources, the tech giant is actively working on adapting its popular software suite for Apple’s tablet. With the iPad making up over 80 percent of the tablet market and millions of people worldwide using Office, that could mean big bucks for the tech giant based in Redmond, Wash.

The iPad market is becoming so large that not even Microsoft can ignore it. This must really sting given that for 10 years Microsoft has tried to squeeze Windows on a tablet without success.

It’s assumed that both of these would work with Office 365 as well as mobile versions, such as Windows Phone’s Office Hub. Because it would be compatible with these full suites rather than as stand-alone apps, the pricing will most likely be significantly lower than existing Office products. In fact, it’s likely the cost will be around the $10 price point that Apple has established for its Pages, Numbers and Keynote products.

Today Microsoft sells Office in various bundles ranging in price from $119 for the Office Home and Student edition all they way up to $499 for Office Professional. I can’t imagine a scenario where Ballmer and company are thrilled about selling versions, even scaled down ones, for ten bucks a shot. If reports are correct, that’s about what OEMs pay for each copy of Windows 7.

When I worked as a product manager for Office, I once suggested Office for Linux during a brainstorming meeting. My suggestion was met with such derision that it wasn’t allowed on the white board. I can imagine the same thing happening to the person brave enough to first suggest Office for iOS.

But either way, this is a good development for iPad owners like myself who still juggle Office files on occasion.

Software For A New PC

Apps for smartphones and the iPad have stolen most of the thunder away from PC programs. And with good reason because that’s where most of the excitement is these days. Had someone told me a year ago that I’d migrate a third of my PC usage over to the iPad I would have called them insane.

But even with all the iPad excitement many of us still rely on a Windows PC for at least a portion of our computing needs. I still prefer to browse the web, write and listen to music on my PC. Sure, I can do all that on my iPad, but I still enjoy sitting in front of two large monitors when I’m juggling a few tasks.

This time of year, I’m often asked to take a look at a computer that’s been giving a friend fits. The question I hear most is, “Can you fix my computer or determine if I’d be better off buying a new one?”

That’s not always an easy question to answer because it requires asking a number of follow-up questions. Often I see a newer computer that has been taken over by children who bring it to its knees by installing toolbars, P2P apps, plugins, and a bunch of other performance killing junk. The state of software is such that crapware often piggybacks onto legitimate software, and you end up with a lot more than that irresistible free game.

Even Apple pulls this stunt by trying to get you install their Safari browser at the same time you install a new version of iTunes. And it gets worse when that unwelcome software changes your default browser, search engine and media player.

Installing PC software today is risky business. Although I’ve moved some of my work to the web through the use of Gmail and Google Docs, which decreases the amount of software on my PC, I still rely on a number of programs to keep my PC running smoothly.

So if you end up with a new PC under your tree on Christmas morning, he’s my list of software that I install on each PC I own. I highly recommend upgrading to Windows 7 if you haven’t already.

1. Windows Update – I run this before I install anything. This will install any new drivers and update some software for you. This could take a while if your new PC was sitting in a warehouse for months. Technically not a program you can download, but important nonetheless.

2. Firefox or Chrome – Launch Internet Explorer and download yourself a much better browser. Then close Internet Explorer and you’ll never need to run it again. I switch between Firefox and Chrome, and both work well. (free)

3. Microsoft Security Essentials – There’s no need to pay for anti-virus software because this free program works great and won’t slow down your system like Norton and others will. If you’re running McAfee or Norton my suggestion is to uninstall them before installing Security Essentials. (free)

4. Threatfire – Picks up where your antivirus leaves off by protecting your PC against malicious behavior from bugs your antivirus program doesn’t yet know about. I’ve used Threatfire in conjunction with Security Essentials for nearly five years without a single infestation. (free)

5. CCleaner – Wipes your PC of temporary internet files and old registry entries. You won’t believe all the junk it cleans off your system the first time you run it. I run this each week. (free)

6. FileHippo – This nifty utility will help you update all the software on your PC that Windows Update skips right over. I prefer to ignore the beta updates and only installed the released updates it finds. (free)

7. Dropbox – Dropbox allows me to sync important files to the cloud as well as other PCs, my iPhone and iPad. So simple and elegant I can’t imagine computing without it. (free for 2GB)

8. GFI Backup – I’ve tried so many backup utilities over the years. Most have been an exercise in frustration. But GFI is different. A simple step-by-step wizard walks me through the process of backing up my music, photos and videos to a backup USB drive. I use Dropbox to sync files I need access to on my my devices, but I use GFI to backup my large collections to an removable drive. (free Home edition)

I have more software than this on my system, but these are the programs I install on every PC in our home. And they are the set of software I suggest to others when I’m asked to assist in setting up a new computer.

What programs or utilities do you install on a new PC?

Black Friday Collides With Thanksgiving

A few years back, I spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws in St. George, Utah. Although I prefer smaller gatherings around the holidays, I enjoyed visiting with relatives, many of which I’d never met before.

After the feast a group of men retreated to the living room to open their laptops and search for Black Friday deals. The women (at least most of them) remained together to discuss their plan of attack for hitting the stores early the next morning. I know this is a generalization, but it seems like men search the internet for bargains while the women prefer to visit the local stores.

And that’s, more or less, how each subsequent Thanksgiving has played out.

The last few years the gathering of friends and family has felt more like a formality that precedes the preparation for Black Friday. I’ve been right there with the rest of them, searching for deals I can’t possibly pass up. One year I was obsessed with finding a Nintendo Wii. I spent hours driving from one Target to another around the Seattle area until I gave up and bought one off Craigslist.

I sold the Wii on Craigslist a few weeks later when my kids decided they liked their old GameCube and N64 better.

While spending Thanksgiving at my brother-in-law’s home this year, I decided to focus my attention on my relative instead of my laptop full of Black Friday deals. I’d say I was 85% successful. I pulled out my iPad to check my email and view a few pictures of my parents who held Thanksgiving at their new home in North Ogden. So I have room to improve, but I did much better than in previous years.

With my kids sequestered downstairs with their cousins, I had the opportunity to speak with my brother-in-law and my in-laws without any distractions. I don’t recall anyone pulling out a laptop or checking their phones for bargains. It was as if I’d stepped back to 1992 when stores opened at 6 am the next morning instead of midnight.

Leading up to Thanksgiving it was impossible to turn on the TV or radio without hearing about the latest door-buster deals some retail store was advertising. This year I finally got tired of it all. The thought of adding more shiny things we don’t need and can’t afford makes me ill. The kids have so many games it would take them a few lifetimes to finish them all. I look out past my two large monitors and see three printers, a new router, and my iPad and iPhone and wonder how many gadgets I really need?

I’m not worried about the producers of Hoarders showing up at my door, but I feel like our home is shrinking in size due to all the unused junk piling up around me. All these machines, appliances, and gadgets that are supposed to make our lives easier actually make our lives a lot more cluttered. I often want to open the doors to our garage and toss everything we own into the street and start over. My mother is a minimalist and I must have inherited that gene because I can’t stand clutter around me. It makes me irritable.

So this year maybe I turned a corner. And I did so without getting trampled, pepper sprayed or tossed to the ground by cops.

All That I Failed To Accomplish

As the weekend began to wind down this afternoon I considered all the tasks I didn’t accomplish.

I planned to hang a rack in the garage to hold the kids bike helmets. Or, at the very least, remove the broken one.

I considered raking the leaves in the front yard.

My daughter begged me to replace the batteries in the Christmas train.

At least five loads of laundry sit on the floor next to me. Maybe someone else will do it.

My shower curtain has needed to be replaced for weeks. One more week won’t matter.

All week I told myself that on Saturday I’d take Kim’s car to have the oil changed. That didn’t happen either.

I made a mental list of tasks I wanted to accomplish, and I can’t think of a single one I can cross off. These were my thoughts this afternoon. I supposed I could have started a few projects tonight. Instead I took my nearly 4-year old son with me on an errand.

On the way to the store, he stopped chatting only to catch his breath. He told me about his teacher and friends at pre-school. He told me for Christmas he wants games, a Green Machine for his brother, and some more games. But no clothes because they aren’t fun.

I waited for him to ask to play with my iPhone or iPad. That’s normally what he does the second I clasp the strap to his car seat. But tonight he wanted to talk, and I loved listening to him tell me about what’s important to him. His speech has progressed slower than his siblings, and I’m left to fill in the blanks about 30% of the time.

On the drive home, I called my father to talk about the Utes win last night in Pullman. By the time I hung up, Kai was asleep. Before I got out of the car, I turned around and watched my son take a number of deep breaths. His long-sleeved red shirt had picked up a few drool marks.

As I carried him inside, thoughts of all that I’d failed to accomplish this weekend were replaced with a feeling of how lucky I am to have had that time with my son.

The Technical Land Mine

A number of years ago, I was a product manager for Microsoft Office. The team was so large that marketing and development were scattered in buildings around the Redmond campus. I helped coordinate events where partners could work alongside developers and testers to ensure their products worked well with ours.

One day I received an email from my manager asking me to setup a meeting with a developer who worked on the same product. I was instructed not to stop by his office or call him. I was to setup the meeting and then notify my manager of the date and time so he could accompany me. The goal of the meeting was to invite this developer to attend a Q&A session at an upcoming event in Seattle.

I was confused. Why did I need my boss to sit in on a meeting? Why couldn’t I offer the invitation myself?

The day of our meeting arrived and, as we walked across campus, my manager described how the last time someone from our group spoke directly to development, things didn’t go well. I didn’t think much of his remarks until I was sitting across from this developer as he mocked our work and told us marketers are clueless and don’t perform real work.

I was stunned. This was someone who not only worked for the same company I did, but we worked on the SAME PRODUCT. But after that experience it was clear that battle lines had been drawn with developers and testers on one team and marketing and sales on the other.

I’ve thought back to that experience over the years having been on both sides of the table. I’ve spent half my career on technical teams and the other half in marketing. At smaller companies, it’s not uncommon to have both groups work alongside each other which allows everyone to see how the other groups are contributing to the product.

But at large companies, the marketing team may speak with a developer once or twice a year, if that. Interaction between the groups isn’t encouraged, and an adversarial relationship is prevalent among groups.

I’ve noticed that it’s not uncommon for marketing and sales to approach the technical groups for assistance with selling new or complex products. Sometimes a customer asks a technical question that the sales representative can’t answer. In that case, it makes sense for sales to reach out to those with a deeper technical knowledge of the product.

The British have created a comedy called the IT Crowd centered on this very notion. Each episode is filled with hilarious bits of interaction between the IT geeks and the rest of the company who have no clue about technology.

Yet it’s mostly a one-way street. The technical groups seldom need guidance from the marketing or sales. Or they don’t believe they need anything. Arrogance isn’t scarce.

Marketers have a much broader range of responsibilities. They are expected to coordinate within the group while still listening and reaching out to customers. That requires wearing many hats, some of which may slide into the technical realm.

When is the last time you’ve seen a developer asked for his input on the latest marketing plan? Can you imagine how silly most developers would look if they were expected to create an MRD, write a white paper or conduct a brand audit?

Maybe one day both groups will gain a respect for each other. But I’m not holding my breath.

The Apple Experience

I haven’t been shy about telling anyone who will listen how much I enjoy my iPhone and iPad. They aren’t the first Apple products I’ve owned, but they are the two that have fundamentally changed what I expect from products going forward.

Like most people, I carried a number of bland, soap-shaped feature phones from Nokia, Samsung, and Sanyo. Each model had a few more features than the previous one that I seldom had the patience to fiddle with. Even something as simple as sending a text message was a pain.

In 2005, I purchased my first smartphone, the Palm Treo 600. I assumed I’d become a texting, emailing and web surfing maniac. But that never materialized because there wasn’t a single intuitive operation on that phone. Something as simple as input became an exercise in frustration. Do I press the keys on the tiny physical keyboard, or press the digits on the screen or, heaven forbid, retrieve the stylus from its cave and tap the screen with it?

It was a horrible little device that I eventually sold on eBay. If you bought my Treo and are reading this, I sincerely apologize. I should have never passed on that turd of a phone.

But things would get worse before they’d improve when I decided to purchase my first Windows Mobile phone. My review of this phone can be summed up with the following statement: I spent more time killing background processes than I did using the phone. I know new Windows Phones are a massive improvement, but the bad taste of that Windows Mobile phone still lingers.

But everything changed when I bought my first iPhone in 2008. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was buying a mini computer that happened to make calls. I began consuming all my RSS feeds from my phone. I could deposit checks, transfer money, and pay bills from my phone. I could watch movies on Netflix, play games, track scores and listen to my favorite podcasts.

I was addicted. It just worked. And not only did it work, but it was fun to use.

I don’t believe I’ve heard a single friend describe the underlying technical specs of his iPhone. Instead they focus on what they do with their phone. When I hear someone talking about screen size, processor speed, and memory allocation I know there is a good chance they own a phone running Android. Google is one release away from getting it right. Yep, sure they are.

In many ways, the iPhone has set the usability standard so high that poor usability now anger me when I encounter it. Here is the first screen I see when accessing the admin area of my cable modem/wireless gateway. This is actually one of the cleaner screens I could find. Many screens include buttons aligned across the top and sides of the page. But to save settings, I must scroll down a table until I locate the “Save” button which is located inside a small windows that’s inside a larger window. And even then, I’m not certain if I did it properly because there’s no feedback whatsoever.

This is the area users need to access to change the default password to their wireless router which has become a mainstream product. Geeks love to mock those who don’t change the admin password to their router. But I don’t see it that way. The failure isn’t with the users, but with the company who believes a product marketed to consumers can navigate pages of unintuitive settings with no explanation to be found.

I assume Motorola allowed only engineers to take part in usability tests for this product, if they were conducted at all. All I can come up with is that Motorola intentionally made these screens scary to anyone who isn’t an engineer because they assume the rest of us will muck with the settings which lead to support calls.

Now I understand that this screen represents a page from an area many users never see. But until the iPhone came along, I wouldn’t have given it much thought. But today it annoys me, and it drives me to search for products from companies that care about the user experience as much as Apple does.

A few companies do understand how to design products that are intuitive. Navigating around the settings of my Xbox and Nintendo Wii is a cinch. I know exactly where I am and what I’m doing on each screen. Dropbox, Flipboard and Reeder also come to mind as products where great care was taken to make sure every part of the product was easy to navigate and understand.

I hope that Apple’s success will influence more companies to focus on the user experience of their products, and not merely on the feature list and technical specs.

Maybe one day we’ll hear, “You’re such a Motorola fanboy.”

The Case Of the Flawed Case

For the past two weeks I’ve been working at Puget Systems located about four miles from my home in Auburn, WA. We build high-end custom computers for people who want a system without all the hype and marketing speak. It’s an entirely different approach from everything else I’ve seen, and that was the driving factor that lead me to contact the president and inquire about a position.

Two days ago my manager at Puget called our group together. He pulled out a computer case and asked us all to look at it closely. All but the front panel was black and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He then placed the case on the table and asked us to look at it again.

This time I noticed faint markings on the faceplate, but only at certain angles. Otherwise, the case looked fine.

My manager talked about how this level of build quality isn’t acceptable and does not meet his standards. He mentioned how he pulled our entire inventory of that case and inspected them for similar flaws. All but three would be returned to the manufacturer.

It all felt a little extreme. Certainly I’ve worked for companies who wouldn’t have noticed the flaws in the case in the first place. I imagine most would have sold the cases on hand and prayed that customers wouldn’t notice the flaws.

I’ve witnessed managers bend their standards a little here or there when the customer wouldn’t notice. I once worked for a manager who demanded I lower my standards for promotion because it would lead to a higher bill rate to our clients. The customer wouldn’t notice, and the decision was made in the name of “increased shareholder value” so we’ll let it slide this time.

The problem is that it gets easier to let it slide until you’ve cut so many corners the standard becomes unrecognizable.

I seriously doubt many of our customers would have called to complain about the case. But I’m impressed that didn’t factor into the decision. The case wasn’t up to par for the person who tests and certifies every computer that leaves our warehouse. It didn’t matter that most people wouldn’t notice the flaws. That he noticed them was enough to send them back.

The only problem I’ve had since taking this new job has been that my PC at home feels slow and loud.

But I think I can fix that.

The No-Fly Zone

A few months ago caught up with a friend with whom I served a mission with from 1987-1989. He told me about his schooling, career and family. Over the course of twenty minutes he brought me up to speed on what he’s doing today and we laughed about our many shared experiences trying to convince German we weren’t crazy for attempting to teach them about our beliefs.

When it was my turn, I began telling him what I’ve been up to for the past dozen years or so.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that I told him what I did when we immediately returned from Germany before skipping ahead six years to 1995. I’m certain this isn’t the first time I’ve done that because I’ve worked hard to erase that six year period spanning from 1989 to 1995 from my mind.

But talking about it again would give it life. Possibly even meaning. I’d better slice it off like a cancerous tumor before it returns.

For the past sixteen years I’ve tried to forget about period because it’s a reminder of the darkest time of my life and ultimately my largest failure. Of course, it’s foolish of me to assume I can simply erase a stretch of growth and conflicting actions. We tend to remember the spikes.

Then last week Kim and I had lunch while the kids were in school. On the drive home I referenced a concert we attended together. The long pause that followed give me time to reconsider my memory of the event which, on second thought, took place a few years before we met. I’d accidentally referenced an event that took place during the No-Fly-Zone of my life.

In years past, I would have quickly changed the subject or done anything to remove the awkward silence that follows a miscue of that degree. In all honestly, I would have done that on this day as well.

But that wasn’t how it worked out because Kim giggled, then turned to me and said, “Ha! That must have been someone else!”

The levity she brought to that drive home was much appreciated. And what I’ve realized since is that she’s always accepted not just the person she’s known since 1997, but the person I was before we met. Including those six years.

We accept not just the person we’ve known for a short period of time, but also the years and experiences leading up to that time. I’m slowing coming to terms with that time of my life I’ve tried to erase. Yet I understand that many of the decisions I made back then are a directly related to where I am today.

There’s time to sort through it. And I need to sort through it because I know the day is coming where my children will have questions, and I can’t just skip over that part of my life like I did with my friend.

Yesterday I brought up a video of Wonderwall from Oasis on my computer. Luca pulled a chair next to me, and we watched together. I told her this is one of my favorite songs, and explained how it reminds me of the year I left Utah for Seattle. She recently began playing the cello and was thrilled when one showed up on screen just before the chorus.

When the song ended, she asked me two questions:

“What year was it when you moved to Seattle?” and “Will you play that again?”

Seven Months

Seven months ago to the day, I packed a single box of items ranging from pictures of my children to a set of Automoblox. One item I didn’t pack up was a fake desk plant I bought at Fred Meyer a few years back. It was as drab as one might imagine a fake plant to be, but I brought it to work with the intention of using it to camouflage the rats nest of cables protruding from my computer.

I knew the day was coming. I’ve been around corporations long enough to sense when something is not right. So I felt a sense of relief as logged off my laptop, grabbed my box of items and turned off my fluorescent office light for the last time.

When I woke up the next morning I had no idea what to do with myself. Kim made breakfast and packed lunches. My job was to make sure the kids got out of the house on time to catch the bus. Sounds easy enough, but I quickly learned that keeping track of three buses, three lunches and four backpacks is every bit as difficult as staying awake during a meeting full of PowerPoint slides.

One benefit I noticed off the bat was how much time I have when I’m not spending three hours a day commuting to work. That’s an extra 15 hours a week I can spend reading, writing or playing baseball with my kids. I’d become accustomed to being away from home for 12-14 hours a day and felt like a part-time father. These past seven months have allowed me to appreciate glimpses into my children’s personalities that I wouldn’t have noticed when I’m scrambling to catch the bus. Seven months ago I could not tell you what each of them like to read, but today I can.

At the first of the year I started a small business with a close friend which is something I’ve wanted to do for years. I’ve made a number of mistakes, but I’ve also learned more about myself than I have in years. We began without a single client and have kept busy through personal referrals. At times it feels like a roller coaster, but I know the peaks are not far from the valleys.

But tomorrow my schedule will change yet again as I begin a new job at another small business here in Auburn. In the past I restricted my job search to the Seattle or Redmond areas. But this time I began in Auburn and intentionally looked for a position with a smaller company. It paid off, and I’m very excited about the opportunity. They also gave me the OK to continue growing my business. I will write about the company and my position in a later post.

What I take from these seven months working at home is a greater appreciation of my spouse. I knew she worked hard, but I had no idea how much energy it takes to manage school schedules, activities, and appointments for four children. When I left the corporate world, I had one recurring alarm on my iPhone that woke me each morning. Today I have six alarms to remind me when to pickup children from school, piano lessons, or scouts. My calendar is packed full of of stuff I never knew existed, and I’ve learned how to properly comb my daughter’s hair.

Unless a pony-tail is involved. Then my daughter motions to the bullpen for mom.