Author: Joan Carbonell
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We ignore the abstract, but the concrete stings
There are concepts that are used and abused to a point where the mind stops seeing them. Like those ads that you ignore on the side of any website. One such concept is “digital transformation”. It’s not that it’s not important. It’s just that it sounds so abstract that it doesn’t do anything for us.…
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Don’t wait until you are in pain to ask for a diagnosis
It’s not common, but sometimes it happens. Still, it never ceases to amaze me when it does. It is normal for a computer system to have points for improvement. Many times, quite a few points of improvement. Some are even in the ICU. But I rarely come across a system where there is no obvious…
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Stop stacking stones
There are few things that make me more nervous than a computer desktop full to bursting with icons. Chaos at its finest. The funny thing is when someone downloads a new file from the Internet and leaves it on the desktop. And then they hide the browser to see the desktop, and it takes them…
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In case of icebergs
I remember my first cruise. We were warned as soon as we boarded: the next morning we would have an evacuation drill. It’s great to be warned when a catastrophe is going to happen. We could only hope that there would be no iceberg in the Mediterranean tonight. And then the steps were explained to…
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To test or not to test. That is the question
Testing software is my daily bread. Sometimes for my clients. Sometimes for myself. Sometimes just out of curiosity. To find out what’s on the market that can always give you ideas. When you have the solution somewhere in the back of your mind, often the opportunity arises when you least expect it. What would often…
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Preserving traditions
Why is it so hard for us to remove things we don’t use? To maintain tradition. Because we don’t have to make decisions. Because… A few weeks ago we painted my office. And I took down everything I had on the walls. It looked nice. Although that’s irrelevant to today’s topic. The thing is, once…
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Speaking in hieroglyphics
“Creation of a Hybrid Cloud infrastructure to host the new Business Intelligence services with outsourcing of IT Managed Services.” No, it’s not a hieroglyphic. It’s part of an IT services offer that a company owner has received. He forwarded it to me by mail asking me if I could review it for him. Which, basically,…
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The IKEA effect
In 1989 I joined a company that had just launched a new computer system to manage travel bookings. In 2013 I left the company. And the same computer system was still handling travel bookings. 24 years. Obviously in IT, as in many other things, but more so in IT, 24 years is an eternity. How…
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Unnecessary complications
I don’t understand why, but people really like to complicate their lives. At least with their businesses. And especially with businesses that are not yet up and running. The logical thing to do should be to go to the minimum to get started and, when it is up and running, to see what needs to…
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I don’t have time to make time
I’ve just got off the phone and that humorous cartoon of a couple of Cro-Magnons sweating and pushing a trolley with square wheels stuck in the ground while saying to another one standing next to them with round wheels in his hand something like “No, thanks! We’re very busy”. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen it.…