Free Software Linux

This Labor Day marks the end of my Summer Technology Break, a self-imposed exile from spending too much time at the computer when instead I could be enjoying family, the great outdoors, and the real world.  How did I do?  Well, the family spent some time in Michigan visiting family, friends, and the fish.  My 4 1/2 year-old son caught his first trout on his first fishing trip (thanks to the patience of Jason and Jean Stephens from Head Hunter Guides).  We also spent a week camping and hiking in the Black Hills of South Dakota which included a family hike up Harney Peak.  For the most part, I would say my break fr

I'm sure by now, new visitors to CMSReport.com have wondered...why so few posts?  Last May, I explained that I was taking a break from technology during the off hours of my "day job".

I'm sure by now, new visitors to CMSReport.com have wondered...why so few posts?  Last May, I explained that I was taking a break from technology during the off hours of my "day job". So, as I have done in past years, I'm taking a break from technology. By posting less during the summer months, I hope to recharge my blogging batteries for the cold weather that is sure to follow.  I will make an effort for the quality high for those articles I do post this summer, but the quantity of posts will be somewhat lower.  My slogan for this summer's tech break is Blog less, breathe more.  I hope some of the other blog junkies out there join me and take a similar technology breaks.  Life is too short to live and die by the computer.

BusinessWeek: A new survey shows growth across the country, with higher-than-average pay. And with the number of tech grads falling, demand will only rise. Complete Story Advertisement: read more

ComputerWorld: "Web 2.0 tools could significantly improve state and local government communications with constituents, as well as aid in recruiting top college graduates for IT positions, according to speakers and users at the Pennsylvania Digital Government Summit here last week. However, speakers also warned that local and state government officials would have to move slowly, since they face perpetual IT funding and manpower constraints." Complete Story Advertisement: read more

The IT pro's vacation planner: Must you unplug to unwind? My answer to ComputerWorld is yes!  Everyone have a good weekend...   Advertisement: read more

ComputerWorld has put together one of the greatest # Best lists I've seen in a long time.  Check out 15 great turning points in tech history.

In every industry there are key milestones that mark a change in the course of history, and the fast-moving technology field has more than its share. Presented here are 15 turning points that shaped the computing world as we know it today, including some that still continue to influence its direction for years to come.

I can't decide which is my favorite moment in computer history, but as someone that was fascinated with then ousted Steve Jobs's company NeXT this rang true for me:

Nice reminder from The Content Wrangler on where the money: Are you looking to drum up some new business? Want to get more dollars from existing clients? Are you a starving writer? White paper expert Michael A. Stelzner, author of Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged, provides the following reasons white papers could dramatically increase your writing revenue...[more]

During the past week, you may have noticed that I'm posting less here at CMS Report. I love the opportunity I've been given to blog about content management systems and pointing readers to the great articles I've read at other sites on the Internet.  Discussing information systems and information technology is not only part of my career, but it is also my hobby.  However, when the weather warms, the trees grow their leaves, and children playing outside can be heard...I yearn for a break from technology.  The other me beckons to spend time camping, hiking, going to baseball games, and simply being outdoors.

"Your reputation and your character are what sell you for the next big job." - Magalene Powell-Meeks, Deputy CIO, Jet Propulson Laboratory, Quoted in "Me, Myself, and I", CIO, April 1, 2008

Silicon: "End users' preferences will account for up to 50 per cent of all purchasing decisions relating to hardware, software and services within the enterprise, Martin Gutberlet, research vice president at Gartner, said last week." Complete Story

eWeek has an interesting article regarding women working in IT, or rather, women not working in IT.  The article is, Where Did All the Girl Geeks Go? A professor says he has only one girl in a computer science major class in 2008, down from 40 percent in 2000. What happened? eWEEK gets field experts to weigh in. While women hold 51 percent of professional jobs in the United States, they make up only 26 percent of the IT work force, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology. Furthermore, fewer women worked in IT in 2008 than in 2000. The article later discusses about the need to put more effort into convincing women that working with technology can be cool.  This argument and others the article makes for how to get more women involved in IT and computer science is a problem.  I don't know a single geek, whether male or female, that had to be convinced that technology is cool. read more