The  Moorhill  Monitor
 (Vol. 8, Iss. 1, 1st Quarter 1999)
 

In this Issue:
[Fifth-and Sixth-Graders Essays] [Murphy's Laws of Computing] [Software Factors]
[Smart CEO's Know] [Security Intelligence Information] [Y2K Toolbox]


Moorhill International Group, Inc.
Fostering International Relations Through Commerce


Providing sound implementation strategies
Offering extensive training / auditing services
Integrating D1-9000 and/or AS 9000 systems
Assisting with on-site baseline assessments
Reviewing existing documentation
Inspiring company-wide adoption methods

1. These ideas about science quoted here were gleaned from essays, exams, and class room discussions. Most were from fifth-and sixth-graders. They illustrate Mark Twain's contention that the "most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop."

  1. Many dead animals of the past changed to fossils, others preferred to be oil.
  2. Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.
  3. We say the cause of perfume disappearing is evaporation. Evaporation gets blamed for a lot of things people forget to put the top on.
  4. I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.
  5. In making rain water, it takes everything from an H to O.
  6. Rain is saved up in cloud banks.
  7. It is so hot in some parts of the world that the people there have to live other place.
  8. One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second.
  9. When people run around and around in circles we say they are crazy. When planets do it we say they are orbiting.
  10. Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime.

2. Murphy's Laws of Computing

  1. When computing, whatever happens, behave as though you meant it to happen.
  2. When you get to the point where you really understand your computer, it's probably obsolete.
  3. The first place to look for information is in the section of the manual where you least expect to find it.
  4. When the going gets tough, upgrade.
  5. For every action, there is an equal and opposite malfunction.
  6. To err is human . . . to blame your computer for your mistakes is even more human, it is downright natural.
  7. He who laughs last probably made a back-up.
  8. If at first you do not succeed, blame your computer.
  9. A complex system that does not work is invariably found to have evolved from a simpler system that worked just fine.
  10. The number one cause of computer problems is computer solutions.
  11. A computer program will always do what you tell it to do, but rarely what you want to do. Bonus: Ctrl + Alt + Del !

Source: Anonymous

3. Software Factors

Human behavior is driven by unconscious desires not easily accessible to the conscious mind. The software industry is shaped by inside developments not easily visible to the public. Want to know where we're headed in 1999 and beyond? Pay attention to these five forces. They are the key factors influencing software developers -- whose decisions determine what new software you'll use -- plus where and when you'll get it.

Implications: Choose which standard to support. Rebuild software as a series of self-identifying objects. Netsourcing. I call this idea "Weblications." Others call it "netsourcing" -- as in outsourcing key services via the Internet. Watch for AOL, Netcenter, MSN and the other portals to move heavily into services. So will corporate sites eager to attract customers.

Implications: Rethink and rearchitect software to make it available over the Internet. Private-label your Internet services to major portals. The new verticals. Until now, makers of specialized, industry-specific applications have been limited by geography and manpower. With the rise of Weblications, they can now sell to anyone, anywhere. Implications: Propagate narrow specialty programs to a wider audience. Do specialized versions of broad applications. Open source. Giving away the source code of your application so customers can freely modify it. Unlikely to affect shrink-wrap software. Quite likely to affect makers of operating systems, databases and programming environments.

Implications: Forces Sun, Microsoft, SAP and others to consider opening all or part of their proprietary products. Electronic software distribution. Retail software sales are shifting to the Internet, especially sales to major corporations. High-speed Internet connections now make downloads faster. Internet services now let you know when it's time to upgrade. And utilities now make downloading easier and more reliable. Only the lack of standards stands in the way.

Implications: Corporate buyers will be first on board because of their fast connections. As more home users get fast access, consumers will join in. Traditional retailers are in jeopardy.

Source: An Insider

4. Smart CEO's Know:

In order to survive and thrive in today's virtual, global, tech-savvy, knowledge-managing, turbo-charged, just-in-time economy every CEO must fuel mega-growth while mastering the discipline of empowering entrepreneurs to innovate - or die.

Or so business gurus would have you believe.

The landscape of the 1990's has changed all of this thinking. The proliferation of all these "revolutionary" ideas created new imperatives for CEO's and entrepreneurs. Call them Myths of the New Economy. It became impossible to ignore the hype.

The smart ones caught themselves in time.

The 7 myths of the new economy:

1 - Grow or die
2 - You must be virtual
3 - Go global
4 - Capital is easy
5 - Everybody is an entrepreneur
6 - Technology makes life easier
7 - You must be on the web in a big way

Source: INC. February 1999

5. Security Intelligence Information

Venturing into dicey countries or regions presents multiple concerns for both travelers passing through and those becoming residents. Some of the best advice rendered is in the obvious category: keep a low and varied profile, hang where the locals hang, but not in a consistent pattern, and so on -- but expertise is helpful and might make the difference in that critical margin for error.

Sources include:
www.ds.state.gov 
www.state.gov 
www.state.gov
travel.state.gov

Consular Department 202-647-5225
Bureau of Consular Affairs 202-647-1488
Key Officers Guide 202-512-1800

The Rule of Three

Of the 370,000 U.S. ground forces that were in the Persian Gulf, 90,000 were Marines stationed in Saudi Arabia and the nearby region. The Marines organize their "Grunts" thusly:

3 Marines = 1 Fire Team
3 Fire Teams = 1 Squad
3 Squads = 1 Platoon
3 Platoons = 1 Company
3 Companies = 1 Battalion
3 Battalions = 1 Regiment
3 Regiments = 1 Division (w/ supporting personnel, a Marine Division is 18,000).

Source: U.S. Marine Corps.

6.Y2K Toolbox

Want to know more? The internet is Y2K Central, and book publishers unleashed a flood of advice on how to prepare for the new millennium.

Get the lowdown on the problem and possible solutions with these resources:
http://www.year2000.com
http://www.frbsf.org 
http://www.sba.gov/y2k
http://www.nasire.org/ss/st2000.html
http://kode.net/~ggirod/bookmark.html

Free Calls Internet users can also try the ultimate calling plan: free, unlimited phone calls around the world. All you need is a computer with a sound card, speakers, modem, microphone and free software from Tribal Voice. Talking through the Net sounds a bit like you're talking on a speakerphone but at this price it's hard to complain.

Source: P.O.V. February 1999

Newsletter 1998 Archives:
Monitor November '98
Monitor September '98
Monitor July '98
Monitor May '98
Monitor March '98
Monitor January '98


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