Office Hours - Redux
Free office hours: ask me anything about eCommerce, enterprise architecture, or building startups.
Career & Business
49 posts
Remote Work
A distributed team thrives when remote work isn't treated as an exception - it's the default structure.
Office Hours Follow Up
Office hours conversations span recruiting challenges, technical deep-dives, and entrepreneurship lessons.
Want an even better job? :)
Spark::red is hiring sys admins, JBoss experts, and ATG architects in Boston and Seattle.
Want a good job?
TOMS needs a Senior ATG Lead Developer in Marina Del Rey - beautiful office, serious credentials required.
Announcing my Office Hours
Offering my time for conversations about tech, business, and life. Coffee or video chat - let's talk.
Available For Consulting
Ultra-premium consulting available at $1,000/hour with strict limits: prove 20%+ performance gains on your eCommerce site to justify the investment.
My Panel at HostingCon 2012 (video)
Video from hosting industry panel discussion covering dedicated versus cloud computing, APIs, security, and performance strategies.
HostingCon 2012
Boston SaaS and ISV leaders discuss hosting provider strategies at HostingCon 2012 panel: dedicated vs. cloud, APIs, security, and performance.
Spark::red 2011 Review and 2012 Preview
Spark::red 2011 milestones: 101 servers, PCI Level 1 MSP certification, 16 global points-of-presence, prices held steady.
How to Make an Impact During the First Month of Your Startup Job
Making impact during your first startup month: onboarding strategies and cultural integration for new hires.
Bad Recruiter E-Mail Tips
Why generic recruiter emails with typos and no personalization get deleted. Don't be that recruiter.
What Oracle/ATG Could Do With Licensing
Oracle's aggressive ATG licensing changes have priced out mid-market customers and alienated existing ones.
ATG Licensing - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
ATG 10's core-based licensing represents both progress and pitfalls in Oracle's e-commerce strategy.
Spark::red is PCI Level 1 Certified!
Spark::red ATG Hosting achieves PCI DSS Level 1 certification, the industry's highest security standard.
Spark::red Sponsored Children's Cove Charity
Spark::red sponsors Children's Cove charity golf tournament supporting abuse victims and families.
ATG User Group in Boston!
Boston ATG User Group launches with food, networking, and presentations for diverse technical audiences.
The True Cost of ATG's Core Based Licensing
Modern CPU cores tripled licensing costs while performance gains lag. ATG's core-based model is economically broken.
ATG Newsletter Went Out
Site speed impacts Google rankings now - here's why it matters and how Spark::red's hosting expertise tuned every layer.
Sparkred Launches an ATG Mailing List
Spark::red launches monthly ATG newsletter covering hosting, performance tuning, and technical deep dives.
Why ATG's Core Based Licensing is Stupid
ATG's CPU-based licensing made sense in 1999, but virtualization and cloud broke the whole model.
Selling Through Context
Retailers should sell the lifestyle first - IKEA shows how context and story drive product sales.
East Coast Starbucks
East Coast Starbucks lack the operational flow of West Coast locations - poor cash handling slows everything down.
Featured Member at HowGoodIWas.com!
Featured member at HowGoodIWas.com - a sports bragging and social networking site worth checking out.
Reduced Prices for ATG Hosting from Spark::red
Spark::red offers aggressive ATG hosting pricing to help businesses save hundreds of thousands during economic downturns.
Always Think About Ways To Sell Your Brand
Neighbors notice when a tree service works nearby - brand visibility through honest, quality work is powerful marketing.
Get 4 Free Tech Books and Give $29.95 for Aus bushfire relief!
Five tech books for $29.95 with all proceeds funding Australian bushfire relief - skill-building with purpose.
Why I Won't Deal With TransAmerican
Relentless recruiting calls after clear refusal. TransAmerican burned bridges through sheer persistence.
10 Skills You Need That You Won't Learn In School
Real-world skills - communication, time management, problem-solving - rarely taught in school but critical everywhere else.
Doing The Best Job You Can
Excellence in any job - architect, plumber, salesman - means pushing beyond minimum and delivering your absolute best.
Publish!
Developers should publish open source, write blogs, and keep learning - it benefits careers, companies, and hiring alike.
Rant About Core-Based Licensing
Multi-core licensing doubled software costs without proportional performance gains - a trend harming customers everywhere.
Scary Stuff
Government lawyers claim the president can arrest any citizen and imprison them indefinitely without charge.
Will Tech Startups Be The Hero This Recession?
Tech startups carry no debt and don't depend on luxury spending, so they'll weather this recession far better than last time.
Startup School 2008 - Saturday & Sunday
Y Combinator's Startup School 2008 packed the auditorium early with eager founders - here's what it felt like to be there.
Trip to San Francisco
Attended Startup School in San Francisco - full coverage across two blog posts on Friday and the weekend.
To Columbus and Back
Columbus trip: 4:30 AM flight, jet lag at midnight, interviews on zero sleep - the startup grind is real.
Y Combinator Startup School
Y Combinator's 2008 Startup School at Stanford: founders networking matters more than hearing the speakers.
Follow-up Article on Network World
Read my follow-up article on Network World - link inside.
Why I Host My Own Websites, Mail, Files, etc...
Self-hosting mail, web, and files beats outsourced convenience when you control the stack.
Should Developers Manage Copyright Like Photographers Do?
Photographers own their work by default. Code should too.
A New Year is upon us
2008 brings Seam, Flex, and uncertainty. What tech excites you?
Ohio Ramblings
Three weeks in Columbus on the new job brings jet lag, lost sunglasses, and a desperate need for rest.
Update
New job keeps me busy and traveling for three weeks straight; mornings at gym, free afternoons, no wife.
First Day of School Jitters
First day jitters despite eight years of ATG expertise - home office ready, gym session planned, nerves intact.
Big Day Tomorrow
After four and a half years at Cingular, the final day arrives with mixed emotions - goodbye comfort and expertise, hello uncertainty and growth.
Not Much to Say
Balancing handoff meetings and motorcycle commutes while preparing for a major life transition proves daily challenges keep you sharp.
When I'm 59 (and a half)
First retirement account opened as a contractor - building future security finally becomes unavoidable reality.
Endings and Beginnings
Leaving Cingular after four and a half years to contract remotely for Resource Interactive - freedom and focus replace juggling.