Workplace chemical exposure can last a lifetime!

In his blog, Martin MC Brown talks about how laser printers pose a possible health risk. I could not agree more, although today's printers do have better filters. Provided you change them on time, filters help catch some of the unused toner particles which contain all manner of chemicals that can't be good to inhale. Having examined physiology, physics and biology, I'm always fascinated about any health risks posed by pieces of office equipment. As a young man, I worked in an electronic assembly plant building and cleaning electrical components for over half a year.  One piece of equipment that was a health risk was the vapor degreaser we used to strip and clean residual flux off circuit boards.

Workplace chemical exposure can last a lifetime!

In his blog, Martin MC Brown talks about how laser printers pose a possible health risk. I could not agree more, although today's printers do have better filters. Provided you change them on time, filters help catch some of the unused toner particles which contain all manner of chemicals that can't be good to inhale. Having examined physiology, physics and biology, I'm always fascinated about any health risks posed by pieces of office equipment. As a young man, I worked in an electronic assembly plant building and cleaning electrical components for over half a year.  One piece of equipment that was a health risk was the vapor degreaser we used to strip and clean residual flux off circuit boards.

Helping along the next generation of security professionals

I enjoy being a catalyst for up-and-comers in security, even if it is for a fleeting moment.  And today I got that cool feeling when I was at a mini security conference here in Houston (since I am one of the very few bloggers not going to BlackHat and Defcon).  As I was standing at our booth and making conversation with everyone walking by, a young guy walked up asking about our company and the partner that was with us.  We talked for a bit, and then we performed the card-swapping ritual.  As he looked at my card, he started asking me about my CISSP certification.  He said he was looking at getting his and wanted to know whether or not it was worth it, what the experience was like, etc.  I gave him some recommendations, told him to look at joining some security associations (ISSA, Infragard, etc.) since they have some study groups, recommended some materials, etc.

Helping along the next generation of security professionals

I enjoy being a catalyst for up-and-comers in security, even if it is for a fleeting moment.  And today I got that cool feeling when I was at a mini security conference here in Houston (since I am one of the very few bloggers not going to BlackHat and Defcon).  As I was standing at our booth and making conversation with everyone walking by, a young guy walked up asking about our company and the partner that was with us.  We talked for a bit, and then we performed the card-swapping ritual.  As he looked at my card, he started asking me about my CISSP certification.  He said he was looking at getting his and wanted to know whether or not it was worth it, what the experience was like, etc.  I gave him some recommendations, told him to look at joining some security associations (ISSA, Infragard, etc.) since they have some study groups, recommended some materials, etc.

Helping along the next generation of security professionals

I enjoy being a catalyst for up-and-comers in security, even if it is for a fleeting moment.  And today I got that cool feeling when I was at a mini security conference here in Houston (since I am one of the very few bloggers not going to BlackHat and Defcon).  As I was standing at our booth and making conversation with everyone walking by, a young guy walked up asking about our company and the partner that was with us.  We talked for a bit, and then we performed the card-swapping ritual.  As he looked at my card, he started asking me about my CISSP certification.  He said he was looking at getting his and wanted to know whether or not it was worth it, what the experience was like, etc.  I gave him some recommendations, told him to look at joining some security associations (ISSA, Infragard, etc.) since they have some study groups, recommended some materials, etc.

Microsoft's OSI open-source offer (and Nasha... hic!)

Rabbits, white rabbits on Wednesday's IT Blogwatch: in which Microsoft "embraces" open source licensing. Not to mention how NASA discovered those naughty drunken astronauts...Eric Lai tugs at the kimono:The head of the open-source group that will decide whether to certify Microsoft Corp.'s "shared source" software licenses as open-source licenses said that more than half of Redmond's licenses appear to automatically fail the group's rules. Michael Tiemann, president of the non-profit Open Source Initiative, said that provisions in three out of five of Microsoft's shared-source licenses that restrict source code to running only on the Windows operating system would contravene a fundamental tenet of open-source licenses as laid out by the OSI....Last Thursday, Microsoft announced its plans to submit its shared-source licenses to the 9-year-old OSI for approval ... Tiemann, who is also CTO of Linux distributor and Microsoft rival Red Hat Inc., said the OSI is not singling out Microsoft ... By his count, the OSI has rejected "two dozen" or so license applications for language that restricted the use or redistribution of software and its source code, even when the restrictions were written with what Tiemann called "moral" intent....The best-known open-source licenses approved by the OSI include the General Public License (GPL) ... as well as the Mozilla Public License ... Microsoft's Community License was actually submitted to the OSI for approval in December 2005 -- though by a third-party, not by Redmond itself. The license was rejected at that time.

Microsoft's OSI open-source offer (and Nasha... hic!)

Rabbits, white rabbits on Wednesday's IT Blogwatch: in which Microsoft "embraces" open source licensing. Not to mention how NASA discovered those naughty drunken astronauts...Eric Lai tugs at the kimono:The head of the open-source group that will decide whether to certify Microsoft Corp.'s "shared source" software licenses as open-source licenses said that more than half of Redmond's licenses appear to automatically fail the group's rules. Michael Tiemann, president of the non-profit Open Source Initiative, said that provisions in three out of five of Microsoft's shared-source licenses that restrict source code to running only on the Windows operating system would contravene a fundamental tenet of open-source licenses as laid out by the OSI....Last Thursday, Microsoft announced its plans to submit its shared-source licenses to the 9-year-old OSI for approval ... Tiemann, who is also CTO of Linux distributor and Microsoft rival Red Hat Inc., said the OSI is not singling out Microsoft ... By his count, the OSI has rejected "two dozen" or so license applications for language that restricted the use or redistribution of software and its source code, even when the restrictions were written with what Tiemann called "moral" intent....The best-known open-source licenses approved by the OSI include the General Public License (GPL) ... as well as the Mozilla Public License ... Microsoft's Community License was actually submitted to the OSI for approval in December 2005 -- though by a third-party, not by Redmond itself. The license was rejected at that time.

Microsoft's OSI open-source offer (and Nasha... hic!)

Rabbits, white rabbits on Wednesday's IT Blogwatch: in which Microsoft "embraces" open source licensing. Not to mention how NASA discovered those naughty drunken astronauts...Eric Lai tugs at the kimono:The head of the open-source group that will decide whether to certify Microsoft Corp.'s "shared source" software licenses as open-source licenses said that more than half of Redmond's licenses appear to automatically fail the group's rules. Michael Tiemann, president of the non-profit Open Source Initiative, said that provisions in three out of five of Microsoft's shared-source licenses that restrict source code to running only on the Windows operating system would contravene a fundamental tenet of open-source licenses as laid out by the OSI....Last Thursday, Microsoft announced its plans to submit its shared-source licenses to the 9-year-old OSI for approval ... Tiemann, who is also CTO of Linux distributor and Microsoft rival Red Hat Inc., said the OSI is not singling out Microsoft ... By his count, the OSI has rejected "two dozen" or so license applications for language that restricted the use or redistribution of software and its source code, even when the restrictions were written with what Tiemann called "moral" intent....The best-known open-source licenses approved by the OSI include the General Public License (GPL) ... as well as the Mozilla Public License ... Microsoft's Community License was actually submitted to the OSI for approval in December 2005 -- though by a third-party, not by Redmond itself. The license was rejected at that time.

Bill is gone now, but many older workers still feel his pain!

This blog by Mitch Betts brought up some memories I had of my neighbor, Bill who  died suddenly last year. He was only in his early sixties but spent the last decade  jumping from job to job after being laid off as an HVAC technician for over 25 years. A dedicated and hard worker, Bill claimed he was just another victim of age discrimination by the large company where he worked which was bought out by an even larger company. Having a very hard time getting rehired, Bill found that finding work was next to impossible in his field at his "advanced" age.

Bill is gone now, but many older workers still feel his pain!

Mitch Betts' post, "IT staff laid off while fat-cat private-equity owners rake in the dough", brought up some memories of my neighbor, Bill, who died suddenly last year. He was only in his early sixties but spent the last decade jumping from job to job after being laid off as an HVAC technician for over 25 years. A dedicated and hard worker, Bill claimed he was just another victim of age discrimination by the large company where he worked which was bought out by an even larger company. Having a very hard time getting rehired, Bill found that finding work was next to impossible in his field at his "advanced" age.

Bill is gone now, but many older workers still feel his pain!

Mitch Betts' post, "IT staff laid off while fat-cat private-equity owners rake in the dough", brought up some memories of my neighbor, Bill, who died suddenly last year. He was only in his early sixties but spent the last decade jumping from job to job after being laid off as an HVAC technician for over 25 years. A dedicated and hard worker, Bill claimed he was just another victim of age discrimination by the large company where he worked which was bought out by an even larger company. Having a very hard time getting rehired, Bill found that finding work was next to impossible in his field at his "advanced" age.

Certs: Added value or minimum requirement?

I've got a Bachelors Degree in Information Systems Management, my Certified Information Security Systems Professional (CISSP) certification, the SANS GIAC Systems and Network Auditor (GSNA) certificate and I used to be a CCNA.   I spent two years getting my B.S. by attending night courses, the CISSP took me 6 months of constant study, the GSNA required a week's worth of intense instructor lead study, and I spent the better part of a school year taking the official Cisco course work at the local junior college before taking the test.  And with the exception of the CCNA, the time I spent earning my degree and getting my certifications was aimed strictly at filling in a check box on an HR person's list rather than learning something.  Not to say I didn't learn something in studying for each, but my goal was fulfilling a job requirement instead of education.

Certs: Added value or minimum requirement?

I've got a Bachelors Degree in Information Systems Management, my Certified Information Security Systems Professional (CISSP) certification, the SANS GIAC Systems and Network Auditor (GSNA) certificate and I used to be a CCNA.   I spent two years getting my B.S. by attending night courses, the CISSP took me 6 months of constant study, the GSNA required a week's worth of intense instructor lead study, and I spent the better part of a school year taking the official Cisco course work at the local junior college before taking the test.  And with the exception of the CCNA, the time I spent earning my degree and getting my certifications was aimed strictly at filling in a check box on an HR person's list rather than learning something.  Not to say I didn't learn something in studying for each, but my goal was fulfilling a job requirement instead of education.

IT staff laid off while fat-cat private-equity owners rake in the dough

There's an eye-opening story in the Wall Street Journal today (subscription required) about the consequences for IT staffers when private-equity firm Blackstone Group bought Travelport Ltd. last August. "Two months after the deal closed, scores of employees were lugging boxes of personal belongings to their cars, having lost their jobs," the story says. Let's look at some of the human casualties: John Kliegel, 41 years old, a computer-systems analyst, and his twin, Russell, a technical writer, were both laid off. They're selling the house they share because they can no longer afford it. Don Kleppinger, a 46-year-old software engineer with five sons, lost his job, leaving him without health insurance for several months. "It came as a shock," says Michael Berson, 49, who lost his job as a data engineer in October, three years after receiving a "Super Star" award for saving the company $1.2 million on telecommunications costs. Grace Covyeau, 63, who lost her job as a telecommunications engineer, took a part-time job last month making sandwiches and coffee at King Soopers grocery store.

IT staff laid off while fat-cat private-equity owners rake in the dough

There's an eye-opening story in the Wall Street Journal today (subscription required) about the consequences for IT staffers when private-equity firm Blackstone Group bought Travelport Ltd. last August. "Two months after the deal closed, scores of employees were lugging boxes of personal belongings to their cars, having lost their jobs," the story says. Let's look at some of the human casualties: John Kliegel, 41 years old, a computer-systems analyst, and his twin, Russell, a technical writer, were both laid off. They're selling the house they share because they can no longer afford it. Don Kleppinger, a 46-year-old software engineer with five sons, lost his job, leaving him without health insurance for several months. "It came as a shock," says Michael Berson, 49, who lost his job as a data engineer in October, three years after receiving a "Super Star" award for saving the company $1.2 million on telecommunications costs. Grace Covyeau, 63, who lost her job as a telecommunications engineer, took a part-time job last month making sandwiches and coffee at King Soopers grocery store.

Shark Tank: And that answers a lot of questions right there

This big utility company has an, um, diverse IT support group, and it's getting a new manager, says a pilot fish on the scene. "The new guy has a reputation for being a corporate man who does things by the book," fish says. "At our first group get-together to meet the new boss, we go though the normal intros: 'how I work, what I expect,' yada yada." Then the boss opens the floor to questions. And one of the more, um, astute IT employees has one.

Shark Tank: And that answers a lot of questions right there

This big utility company has an, um, diverse IT support group, and it's getting a new manager, says a pilot fish on the scene. "The new guy has a reputation for being a corporate man who does things by the book," fish says. "At our first group get-together to meet the new boss, we go though the normal intros: 'how I work, what I expect,' yada yada." Then the boss opens the floor to questions. And one of the more, um, astute IT employees has one.

Shark Tank: And that answers a lot of questions right there

This big utility company has an, um, diverse IT support group, and it's getting a new manager, says a pilot fish on the scene. "The new guy has a reputation for being a corporate man who does things by the book," fish says. "At our first group get-together to meet the new boss, we go though the normal intros: 'how I work, what I expect,' yada yada." Then the boss opens the floor to questions. And one of the more, um, astute IT employees has one.

Video resumes a medium of potential & pitfalls

Resumes are one of the most important components in an individual's professional career. In fact, it is probably one of the most underrated and under appreciated components by a professional.  We often perceive resumes as tools needed only when we are looking for new, or better, opportunities.  In reality, resumes should be viewed as living entities.  Its contents should be constantly monitored and updated.  In fact, an inert resume could be considered a direct link to career suicide. In addition to its contents constantly changing, the actual resume component itself is frequently receiving changes in presentation, style, format, and delivery mechanisms.  The latest and most notable change is in the methods of presentation and delivery.  Recently, the video resume has emerged as an industry buzz for resume presentation.  As a new and innovative way of submitting resumes, it is becoming more and more popular to many.  While this may be a creative way of presenting oneself to potential employers, one must inevitably ask is it in their best interest?

Video resumes a medium of potential & pitfalls

Resumes are one of the most important components in an individual's professional career. In fact, it is probably one of the most underrated and under appreciated components by a professional.  We often perceive resumes as tools needed only when we are looking for new, or better, opportunities.  In reality, resumes should be viewed as living entities.  Its contents should be constantly monitored and updated.  In fact, an inert resume could be considered a direct link to career suicide. In addition to its contents constantly changing, the actual resume component itself is frequently receiving changes in presentation, style, format, and delivery mechanisms.  The latest and most notable change is in the methods of presentation and delivery.  Recently, the video resume has emerged as an industry buzz for resume presentation.  As a new and innovative way of submitting resumes, it is becoming more and more popular to many.  While this may be a creative way of presenting oneself to potential employers, one must inevitably ask is it in their best interest?