Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Not only do I love breasts, I love the people behind them

Quotes for National Breast Cancer Awareness

“Not only do I love breasts, I love the people behind them.” -David Pitts, September 29, 2009
“I love breasts, and I support the things I love” -David Pitts, September 17, 2009
“Save the boobies” (not mine)
“Save second base” (not mine, but see here:  http://www.save2ndbase.com/

How are you enhancing your awareness?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

GLSEN - What is your opinion?

What is your opinion of GLSEN?

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/home/index.html

Do you have an opinion?

Monday, September 21, 2009

Only as good as those around you

They say that you are only as good as those around you.  Other “they“‘s say that steel sharpens steel.  Still other “they“‘s say that it takes one to know one.  There are probably a thousand ways of saying it.  Good people are good because not only are they good, but they associate with others that are good.  They improve by being around others who make them better.

Personally, I have been in this position.  Several of the people that I consider very good friends certainly qualify.  Some of them because of their professional abilities, some of them because of their personal abilities, and still others for other reasons - from compassion, to character, to knowledge, to ability to share.  I have been truly blessed by those that I have been associated with.  Even those that I have only known a short time - such as some from Washington State - have been a great inspiration to me personally, professionally, spiritually, and in other ways. 

One of those people who fall into this overall category is Paul Dupree.  Paul is the head of IT at Asbury College.  Over the 8-10 years I lived in Lexington this last time he and I have developed a solid professional relationship.  There are many reasons why I put Paul into this category.  However, this posting is not about me and my relationship with Paul.  This posting is about an instance where others have recognized Paul.  I, along with most of the world, get to sit back and say, “Yeah, I knew that was true, and it is nice to see others recognizing it.”

In this case, we have the following story released on Reuters on Monday, September 21, 2009 titled “Everything Channel Announces the CIO 50 West Winners” and a copy can be found at http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS85075+21-Sep-2009+PRN20090921.  This news release talks about CIO’s being honored for “IT Executives for Influence, Innovation and Ability to Collaborate with Integrators and Vendors” and is given to the “top 50” mid-sized organizations’ CIO type people.  Number 22 on that list is Paul Dupree.  I would invite you to read the entire article.  The award was sponsored by IBM, HP, and others.

I am very proud to be associated with Paul and I am very happy for him to have been honored in this way.  I hope that his employer takes notice, because I know their competitors will.  In my current position, I am getting to be known for the statement, “What does success look like”?  Obviously such a question is highly variable and is based on the situation.  However, being named “one of the 50 best CIO’s nationally (oh, and the highest rated college/university CIO on the list, if you didn’t notice) certainly takes a bunch of variables into consideration.  It is also nice because it compares apples to apples.  It is hard to compare an IT manager to a CFO or a HR Executive or a President.  This is a great example of what success looks like.

Paul has stated that such an award is actually an honor to the staff that work for him.  I agree that it does show this.  However, If you look at any professions organization, you find that it is more than the basic talent.  There is a reason why certain teams in professional sports are perennial winners - Texas Longhorns Football, Kentucky Wildcats Basketball, Alabama Football in the 50’s, and the list goes on and on.  While they do generally get really good talent, it is the coach that turns really good into great.  Likewise it is the manager of a professional organization that does the same thing.  Paul has hired some fantastic professionals.  These professionals have followed Paul’s game plan and have succeeded in doing so.  I know and have worked with a number of his current and former staff.  They are indeed outstanding talented individuals.  My personal opinion is that Paul has turned them into a good enough team where others have recognized his excellence.  I can imagine that the future looks even brighter as he continues to work his game plan and develops his staff even more. 

How To Force Internet Explorer 7 or 8 To Save Web Site Password After Answering No

How To Force Internet Explorer 7 or 8 To Save Web Site Password After Answering No

I recently visited a site that required me to logon. After receiving my account information, I went back to the site and enter my account and password, I was not paying attention and answered no when Internet Explorer asked if I wanted save my password. I looked around in Internet Explorer Options but could not find a way to save the password without deleting all saved passwords.

Internet Explorer 7 and 8 (now referred to as IE from here down) uses a feature called AutoComplete to store passwords and other information that you type into web form fields when it is enabled. With AutoComplete for user names and passwords, IE will prompt you before saving the account information.

If you select No, Windows will record the site information in the registry, so IE will not prompt you again the next time you visit the site. Since IE does not provide any way to easily edit account/password information, the fix involves making an easy registry hack to modify the site that you answered No for saving the password, while keeping all other information the same.  (Not as bad as it sounds, but still a pain.)

NOTE: Follow the below steps exactly as specified and do not make any changes other than specified while in the Registry. Always create a System Restore point or backup of you Computer when making configuration changes. I make no warranty as to its fitness for its stated purpose or for any other purpose.  USER BEWARE.  (This is what worked for me!)

1. Close IE;

2. Click on Start / Run… and in the run field type regedit (you will need to have administrator rights to edit the registry);

3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\IntelliForms\Storage2;

4. In the left window pane, select the Storage2 key, then from the menu, select File / Export and save the key with the File Name: storage2_old.reg;

5. In the right window pane select all values (except for Default) then press Delete and select Yes to confirm value delete.

6. Open IE and visit the web site whose password you want to save. When IE asks if it should remember your password, answer Yes

7. Logout of site and close Internet Explorer

8. Return to Regedit and press F5 to refresh the list. Now, select the Storage2 key, then from the menu, select File / Export and save the key with the File Name: storage2_new.reg

9. Select the Storage2 key again, then from the menu, select File / Import and select the storage2_old.reg file, and click Open to merge the data back into the registry. Click OK to acknowledge merge was successful.  This puts things back to where they were - i.e. all your old responses with passwords and such are now there.

10. Select the Storage2 key again, then from the menu, select File / Import and select the storage_new.reg file, and click Open to merge the data back into the registry. Click OK to acknowledge merge was successful.  This writes your new entry over your old entry. 

11. Close regedit.
Now all your previously saved passwords will be preserved without wiping out the site you just created.

Friday, September 18, 2009

My love of rage - a posting for my friend Drew

For my friend Drew....

My favorite poem…

Do not go gentle into that good night
by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.