Good Finally Friday Morning

[Jim]

Good Morning.
After a little help sleeping last night, I think I am feeling better. And now we have a noreaster blowing in this Sunday. Lots of rain and lots of snow.

I am going to try to stay off the couch today.

[lorsha]

7" yesterday, and now this next storm may even be much bigger. Oh my ... what a Spring! |shocking|

Have a nice day all.

[cd34]

no snow here and we had Easter last Sunday in Florida. This Daylight Savings Time/Time Zone thing gets really confusing with Easter happening at different times. Does the Noreaster Bunny show up with chocolate eggs for Noreaster?

Finally getting back to a project that I had to delay due to a ton-o-security patches that kept us busy for a few days. Should have that wrapped up today, then, only one final piece to test. Final clock time should be about 12 days to replace 20 months of work from an outsourced programmer. And, it'll do what it should do and more closely replicate the statement of work provided by the programmer.

[Jim]

We were lucky yesterday with very little snow lorsha. But, noreasters just don't seem to ever miss us.

Sparky, would you now recommend outsourcing?

[cd34]

Originally Posted by Jim

Sparky, would you now recommend outsourcing?

In controlled circumstances, sure.

To quantify this project, I had a recent quote from two companies that were going to rewrite it for ~$15000 in 20-35 days. The prior outsourcing contract (if you calculate the time spent exclusively on this project) was $16000 for the development. If I had to put a price on the time I've spent on it, I can't really say that it was any cheaper than $15k -- and it was only done in 12 days because I spent more than 8 hours/day working on it.

Outsourcing failed me in this case because I didn't have a documented test procedure or acceptance procedure. Because our initial tests worked, we hadn't thought about the variables. Also, while development was going on, we were refining ideas and making changes which certainly added to the time involved, however, the end product by the company did not match the document that they wrote based on the requirements I had given them. I think most of that was a result of the distance, time zone issues, skillset of the programmer and the fact that English was a second language. Had we been able to have a face to face meeting (and no, videoconferencing wasn't a substitute), I'm sure that project would have turned out much better.

And what is outsourcing really? Technically, when you have web design done by someone else, aren't you really having that outsourced? Or web hosting? Accounting/Tax preparation?

To me, outsourcing is contracting work out to someone that has the ability, time, special resources or skill to accomplish something that you don't have time or can't handle inhouse. I think in the strictest sense of the word, whenever you turn over some aspect of your business to an outside entity, you've outsourced.

Whether I would outsource overseas? Sure. Urb has spent a little time working on a few things that we've got coming down the pipeline. Would I contract to India or the Philippines? Perhaps. Will I outsource Tech Support? Never.

That's not to say that there aren't some good companies out there offering remote support -- its just that I have a pretty concrete view of how I think things should be, and I would much rather have many aspects of the core business handled in-house.

[docholly]

Morning..

Woke up to an email that made me rip a new ass to a certain cocky Brit.. who always seems to disappear when the farking check arrives..

Oh except the checks that are paying us $$$$ ..those he's around for..

sooo i'm waaaay to grouchy to post anything pleasant.. however it is about 40 degrees here .. was raining yesterday.. i've had my A/C on for a month and suddenly it's january again?? I blame Bush...

cheers and i hope your day is much better than mine started out being..

Originally Posted by Jim

Sparky, would you now recommend outsourcing?

It's funny that i should read that. On a conference call we had yesterday there was much discussion on the HB1 visa issue..which is the work visa that was created in the 1990's to attract the "best and brightest" to the US for brain power. Last year it took 2 months to give out the 65K visas.. this year, it was increased 133K and they were gone in 1 day. 45% were used by companies that have huge outsourcing companies in India. Once the HB1 visa is issued, the visa holder has 5 years to apply for a green card. Turns out the trend is that the HB1 visa holders over the last 7 years (2 years of tracking) 70% never apply for green cards but take their learned US knowledge back to Madras and apply it there to get US and UK companies to outsourse their jobs overseas.

Our govt is sooo fucking brilliant.

[Linkster]

Good "Lets Kill Us Some Knights Templar Anniversary Day" Friday the 13th morning Guess that ole King Phillip IV started this "unluckiest day in history" and the Masons have been getting us back ever since

Now that the Scottish Knights Templar have expanded to the US I guess this day should be made a holiday here too |goodidea

[digifan]

Originally Posted by Linkster

Good "Lets Kill Us Some Knights Templar Anniversary Day" Friday the 13th morning Guess that ole King Phillip IV started this "unluckiest day in history" and the Masons have been getting us back ever since

Now that the Scottish Knights Templar have expanded to the US I guess this day should be made a holiday here too |goodidea

Thanks for posting it, I didn't know that...

[Licker4U]

Good you're feeling better Jim. I haven't had any kind of cold or flu in 4-5 years (knock on wood) Maybe that's because I don't get out in public much where most infectious germs are. I sit here glued to a keyboard and only go out for cigs, booze and the occasional trip for groceries

[long rant]

A local MediaCom cable service tech came to our apartment complex and called in to their office that no one was in apt. 52, our apartment, so they cancelled our cable. (He never was at our apt. and we haven't moved, he just made a mistake) Our phone is through the cable company and we have one cable box for an old non-cable-ready TV. Those two were cut off immediately from their office but the actual signal takes 7-10 days to be physically cut off so we had cable TV working on the cable ready set and the internet connection still worked. We didn't know our service was cut off because the TV and internet still worked and calls on a cell phone got us a recording that there was "trouble in the area" that they were working on. After several days of it not getting fixed, I called and got a human being that said our service was terminated. After a trip to the local cable office they figured the service tech had made a mistake and got us going again with a BIG rate reduction for our troubles. The kicker is that the telephone number we've had for seven years had already been given out to someone else and there was no way of getting it back. I don't really care too much about that but the bitch went through the ceiling! She was ready to castrate the service tech if she could only figure out who he was. Oh well, at least our service is cheaper...

[/long rant]

[digifan]

Good morning.. our weather is nice, spring is here then again, we had to heat last June so I am careful to talk about spring.. the garden is beautiful, an editor-of-chief of a famous mag and their stylist asked an appointment from sis and they come to shoot it if the sun is out ths weekend. Sis is glad, the garden is her hobby if she is here on the weekends.

[JackDaniel's]

Good Morning

It is Friday 13 people ... this means bad luck ... I don't belive in such stupid superstitions but my girlfriend does ... and now she's afraid to come out of the bed

Anyway it is a lovely weather outside and I'm planning to go out a bit later.

I hope everyone has a great day !

[bluebrit]

Morning all... Didn't sleep a wink last night and when i tried to go to bed i ended up watching the tv and got up an hour later. It's going to be a quiet start to the day with plenty of coffee i think.

[MrMaryLou]

Good Morning All

[Cleo]

Yesterday I had this day of getting caught up in work planned but all I managed to do was make it to the gym and then become one with my couch exhausted.

Amazing what actually getting a good night's sleep does. I feel myself again or at least someone who is ready to get some work done.

[Toby]

Mornin' y'all,

As long as we're adding holidays, make the first Monday in April National Passtime Day and let everyone have the day off to go to the ballpark for opening day.

I know about black cats, but is it good luck or bad if a black chicken crosses your path?

I always wore #13 when playing baseball in high school. I liked to thumb my nose at the unlucky 13 thing, but it made some opposing pitchers, and a few of my teammates a bit uneasy.

is on, help yourself...

[Licker4U]

Hey! I just realized it's "Admiration Day"! I can sit back, do nothing, and admire all the good work I did this week...

[spookyx]

Good morning all

[stuveltje]

Not a goodmorning all well i have shit so i wish all others also shit its like Fonz say fryday the 13th, well the last 2 weeks are fryday the 13th for me, i am not around...i am nagging and whining

(Stu doesnt mean the shit part to others, but had to yell Have a great day all!)

[Greenguy]

Good Friday Peoples

Sabres beat up on the Islanders last night Good game, the Sabres looked solid & it was really strange seeing Ryan Smyth crying like a baby NY also gooned it up a bit at the end of the game

I'm not sure what my plans for today are. I was gonna do some yard work, but it's snowing

I guess I'll work

[Linkster]

Originally Posted by Greenie

. I was gonna do some yard work, but it's snowing

Ive got plenty down here you can do Hop on a plane and get your ass on this tractor

[Mr Exotic]

Guess with all the shitty things going on in my life right now I gotta look for the good things. After losing 130 pounds I kinda fell off my weight loss regimen I had been on for a year and half around Christmas time and gained 15 pounds back. Got back on track a couple months ago, and today I hit one of my goals weight loss wise. For the first time since I was probably 12 or 13 years old I weigh under 200 lbs. Stepped on the scales this morning before I hopped in the shower to see I weigh 197 pounds. Thats a long long ways from the 335 I used to weigh.

[Simon]

Good morning world

Finishing some things here this morning, then off for a ride down to KW for a few hours. Should be better weather today anyway.

Wishing a good day to all.

[bluemoney]

Good morning

Weekend "yee ha", oh shit that still means more work.

[JustRobert]

Good morning
LongBeach Grand Prix starts today. Practice and qualifying. Already at work but on the 8th floor have a good view of passing areas. Not much work here going to get done for sure. Wife also is flying out today for a few days so another weekend without the wife. Life is good!

[bDok]

Morning all. Wrapping up two coding projects today and then I'm heading south of the border. Way south baja to enjoy hot weather. Meeting up with some friends that moved to Todos Santos in Cabo. Should be a great couple days for sure. Enjoy the weekend everyone.

Cheers,
B