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Monday, March 29, 2004
Latest from the IFS World conference
I'm in Orlando this week, attending the IFS World conference, giving a presentation on FDA regulations for electronic records and signatures and also sitting on a panel discussion regarding the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, and other regulations on business.
The conference has also given me a chance to catch up on the latest developments with IFS, an global enterprise applications vendor focused mainly on certain verticals, such as aerospace and MRO, heavy industrial, transportation, high tech, and asset-intensive industries such as utilities. Some key points I've picked up so far from the conference:
IFS continues to emphasize its global operations. Although IFS has been making good progress in the U.S., it is not anywhere near as well known as players such as Oracle, SAP, and PeopleSoft, which it often competes with in its key vertical industries. But in terms of its global reach, the company is a strong presence internationally. The company is headquartered in Sweden, with 79 offices in 49 countries. In addition to its natural strength in Europe, it has also made good progress in Asia. IFS already has a global development center in Sri Lanka. It also has been working with NEC in Japan for over seven years to establish itself in Japan and to pursue the China market, where many Japanese-owned companies have been setting up offshore operations. During the conference, IFS announced that NEC has taken an equity position in IFS and now owns 10% of its shares. This will allow NEC to more directly invest in IFS functionality for the Asia market and expand IFS's implementation capabilities.
IFS illustrates the extent to which enterprise applications software has become a global market: here is a Swedish vendor, with a development center in Sri Lanka, holding its international conference in the United States, making an announcement about its partnership with NEC in Japan to take advantage of market opportunities in China.
IFS extends its component architecture. Since the late 1990s, IFS has been developing its systems on a component model, allowing individual modules (actually, objects or components) to be implemented and upgraded separately from one another. The architecture, known as Foundation One, allows new technologies to be swapped in and out of the technology stack without causing major disruption of the client base. It also allows an easier path for interfacing or integrating with other system.
In the conference, IFS described its extension to this architecture, which it now designates as a service oriented component architecture (SOCA). The extensions add a layer of messaging via XML and web services to allow other applications to integrate easily with IFS, allowing "composite applications" to be deployed from multiple vendors. IFS contrasted its approach to that of other vendors that try to lock in companies to a single technology, such as Oracle and Microsoft, which basically own the entire technology stack from database, through tools, to applications. In this regard, IFS's approach is similar to SAP's, with its Netweaver technology, although IFS points out that certain elements of SAP's technology stack, such as its application server and ABAP language, are proprietary to SAP. In contrast, IFS uses 100% publicly available tools and technologies, as illustrated by its offering a choice of IBM Websphere, Oracle Application Server, and even JBOSS, an open source application server.
IFS recognizes that its approach makes it easy for clients to implement other systems besides IFS. But as IFS president Michael Hallen said in his keynote address, "If we make it easy for you to replace us, you will be more likely to keep us." I think this is an enlightened view.
My only complaint regarding IFS is its low profile, perhaps keeping with its Scandinavian roots. There are only about 30 members of the press and analyst community here, counting me. The company has some good stories to tell, such as its joint venture with Lockheed Martin. It needs to get the word out.
Related posts:
IFS wants a piece of the JDE installed baseby Frank Scavo, 3/29/2004 08:25:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, March 26, 2004
Outsourcing: what would Wal-Mart do?
Bob Cringley has a long article on problems the U.S. Navy has had with outsourcing to EDS. At the end of the article, he contrasts the Navy's approach with that of one of the world's most well-run corporations, Walmart. Cringley called some of his sources internal to Walmart and asked them confidentially whether Walmart would ever consider outsourcing some or all of its IT function to an outside contractor.Those sources were clear: there is no way Wal-Mart would entrust its IT services to an outside contractor or even to several outside contractors. Doing so would threaten the entire organization. If costs are out of control and services are inconsistent, that's something to be dealt with internally, not by hoping some outside organization is smarter or more disciplined. "We have suppliers, sure, but the ultimate responsibility always remains here in Bentonville," said my Ozark IT guy. "We centralize it, we control it, we know what we are buying and what we are doing with it. Anything less is just too much of a risk."Cringley's whole article is on the PBS website.by Frank Scavo, 3/26/2004 09:17:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Thursday, March 25, 2004
Subscription model for software gaining ground
According to a recent IDC research report, the shift from the traditional model of upfront software licence sales to a pay-as-you-go subscription model is well underway. The shift is driven by several factors, including customer desire for more flexibility, as well as vendor desire for a more predictable revenue stream. The report concludes that by 2010 many software vendors will receive the majority of their revenue from the subscription model.
Amy Mizoras Konary, the IDC analyst who authored the report, says,"The old adversarial sales model, where vendors attempted to shove software down customers' throats and leave for the next deal, is becoming a thing of the past," she said. "If you look at the software market, revenues are flat, and users are leveraging open source to deal with vendors. This is causing major reconsideration of licensing models all around."A CNET article has the details.by Frank Scavo, 3/25/2004 08:24:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Survey: best practices in supply chain management
Enrico Camerinelli at Meta Group is researching best practices in supply chain management, and he is conducting a survey to back up his findings. Enrico needs participants, and he will share the results of the survey with those who respond. The survey is very brief and should only take about five minutes to complete.
To participate, simply send me a message, and I'll have Enrico send you the survey form. My e-mail address is in the side bar.by Frank Scavo, 3/24/2004 08:14:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, March 23, 2004
IT budgets: spending less but getting more
Erik Keller, in an Optimize Magazine article, points out that an optimistic outlook for the U.S. economy does not necessarily mean an end to the IT spending famine:Many corporate executives have decided that a lean, mean, and slightly hungry IT department may be the ticket to profitability and enhanced competitiveness. Consider the following:Keller also outlines three large companies that are getting more from IT budgets while spending less:
- FedEx stated that it won't increase IT budgets through 2006. Others, including Motorola and the U.S. federal government, have echoed similar goals.
- The latest Commerce Department capital-spending numbers indicate the only large-growth area is hardware, which can be largely attributed to a short cycle of PC replacement.
- Not all chief executives of major IT vendors are predicting that the corporate spending freeze is over yet.
Keller goes on to describe a number of opportunities for managing costs while maintaining benefits, such as strategic sourcing, contract management, asset utilization, and tighter software license management. He also outlines a three step process for evaluating IT cost reductions.
- Harrah's, which tries to cut 5-10% from its IT budget every year for specific business functions.
- Merrill Lynch, which cut IT spending by one-third between 2000 and 2003 by transferring responsibility and management of the IT budget to the business units, giving users better visibility into where cuts were possible and how to make better use of the technology it already had installed.
- Jetblue, which spends roughly the same percentage of revenue on IT as other air carriers but spends it in smarter ways. For example, it has standardized on a single technology platform (Microsoft), it has implemented voice-over-IP technology to allow reservation agents to work from home, lessening the need for call center infrastructure; and it has deployed a paperless system for flight documentation, cutting costs of distributing paper documents to pilots.by Frank Scavo, 3/23/2004 10:31:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, March 22, 2004
Agilisys continues acquisition binge
Agilisys is on a roll. Following closely after its acquisition of daly.commerce and infor, the company has announced its acquisition of Varial, a German vendor of HR and financial systems for small and mid-sized companies and public agencies. The move is probably intended to strengthens Agilisys's presence in Europe following Agilisys's acquisition of infor, another German vendor.
Varial sells its solutions entirely through a VAR network. Agilisys appears to be willing to keep the VAR network intact. "The company will operate as a separate business unit of Agilisys and continue to develop and strengthen its existing relationships with resellers and customers outside of the Agilisys Discrete, Process and Wholesale Distribution Business Units," reads the press release.
Separately, Agilisys has added four new senior executives: Michael Starr as CIO, whose resume included 14 years in the IT group at Home Depot; Marylon McGinnis as VP of Offshore Development, and formerly from GEAC, a competitor. Also coming on board are Chris Murphy as VP HR and Business Integration, and Rick Parker as VP of Global Marketing of Agilisys's Discrete Solutions Group.by Frank Scavo, 3/22/2004 07:41:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Saturday, March 20, 2004
The supply-side argument for offshore software development
Is demand in the U.S. for new software about to explode? Perhaps so, if the law of supply and demand still holds.
The law of supply and demand states that, in a perfect market economy, a commodity has three economic variables: supply, demand, and price. Normally, the law is explained in terms of price as the result of supply and demand. For example, if supply is constant and demand increases, price will rise. Or, if demand is constant and supply increases, price will fall.
However, the law can also be stated in terms of demand as the result of supply and price. Consider two scenarios:
But what happens when prices drop and at the same time supply increases? In this scenario, demand should greatly increase. I would call this the "super supply-side scenario."
- Supply remains constant and sellers drop the price. In this scenario, demand should increase. This is the strategy of retailers who mark down excess inventory to increase sales.
- Demand remains constant and sellers increase the supply. In this scenario, prices should drop to the point where demand increases to consume the increased supply. This is the so-called supply-side argument for increasing the supply in order to stimulate the overall market for a commodity.
Now, I ask, isn't this exactly what we should be seeing with the trend toward offshore software development services, where both factors are at work?
The law of supply and demand would indicate that the combination of lower prices and increased supply should greatly stimulate demand for software development. So if I am correct, there should be over the next few years an explosion in demand for software development in the U.S.
- Lower cost. It is generally accepted that labor rates for offshore software development are less costly than equivalent services in the U.S. (There are all kinds of risks that should be considered to determine total cost, which I have discussed elsewhere, but let's ignore them for now and just stipulate that costs offshore are lower).
- Increased supply. As I wrote in December, offshore locales such as India and China are cranking out thousands of software engineering graduates every year, flooding the labor market with additional supply. So for the foreseeable future, there should be no shortage of software developers at the lower rates.
Sources of demand
Where will the increased demand for software development come from? Anyone who has been involved with corporate information systems knows that the backlog of new system requests and enhancement requests is measured not in months but in years. Users often give up asking for new systems because the ones they've already asked for have not been delivered. I have seen cases where system requests get so old that that the original requestor is no longer with the company. Of, if he is still around he has forgotten what it was he was asking for. At some point, users stop asking. I call this the "hidden backlog" of software development requests. The hidden backlog is sometimes manifested when a company does one successful new software development project. Suddenly users realize that they can ask for stuff and stuff gets delivered. So they begin to ask for more. Demand for software development is not like demand for baby diapers--a relatively static number based on the number of babies born each year. Dropping the price for software development can often stimulate new or hidden demand.
Demand for new commercial software packages, such as ERP or CRM, is also highly dependent on price. These systems are expensive, and many companies that could benefit from them continue to nurse along legacy systems because the price to acquire, implement, and maintain new systems is simply too high. If upfront software license fees and on-going maintenance costs were lower, there would certainly be a greater demand for new packaged systems. This argues for software vendors making better use of offshore services to drive the price point for their applications lower, thus increasing demand. In fact, this is already happening. Not only major vendors, such as SAP and Oracle, are moving development offshore. Even smaller vendors are getting into the act, such as MAPICS, which is outsourcing most of its software development to India, and Ross, which was actually purchased outright by Chinadotcom, an offshore software development organization. As vendors get better at managing offshore development, the price of packaged software should drop. In a market economy, it has to.
Outlook for U.S. jobs
Some will argue that, yes, there will be an increase in demand for software, but all the jobs will be offshore. My reply is that for every U.S. software acquisition, there are many activities that must take place on-shore. For example, it is likely that initial requirements definition will be done directly with the U.S. customer. It is hard to imagine how user training and acceptance testing could be moved offshore. It is also probable that significant pieces of the functional design would need to be done in the U.S., in close collaboration with users. In all likelihood, it will be mainly technical specifications, programming, and unit/system testing that is done offshore. Even then, there will need to be a project management layer in the U.S. to coordinate activities on-shore and offshore.
Similarly, if prices for commercial software packages were to fall due to offshore software development, I have no doubt that there would be an increase U.S. sales, with increased demand for on-shore U.S. based implementation-related services such as system integration, training, and project management.
Therefore, I am hopeful that the trend toward offshore software development will increase demand for software development and package acquisition by U.S. buyers, resulting in many new jobs for IT professionals. Unfortunately, they won't be the same jobs that have moved offshore. The key for software professionals, then, is to recognize the economic realities and prepare for the types of IT jobs in the U.S. that will prosper in the coming years.
I'm interested in feedback on this point: are we seeing a general pick up in demand for software development? If so, where are the best opportunities for U.S. IT professionals?
Links to related posts:
Risks of offshore outsourcing
Productivity risks in offshore outsourcing
Outsourcing: the next bubble?
Internal IBM memos reveal plans to move thousands of jobs offshore
Offshore outsourcing driving down US IT salaries
Offshore labor drove firm to brink
Companies mum on savings from IT offshore outsourcing
Impact of offshore services on IT job prospects in the US
Ross Systems gets "Shanghai'ed"
MAPICS outsourcing most software development to Indiaby Frank Scavo, 3/20/2004 11:29:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, March 17, 2004
Why are executives leaving PeopleSoft?
Since last June, when Oracle made its hostile bid for PeopleSoft, seven high level executives have left or have announced they will leave PeopleSoft. The departures include two former PeopleSoft GMs: Joe Davis, former head of PeopleSoft's CRM unit, who is going to run a software start-up, Coremetrics, and Doug Merrit, former head of PeopleSoft's Human Capital Management group, who has not yet announced a new position. Other executives that have left include North America VP Kyle Bowker, CRM marketing executive Brad Wilson, and Peter Gassner, the former GM of PeopleSoft's tools group, who left last July to take a position with Salesforce.com, a CRM competitor to PeopleSoft. In addition, Anne Jordan, PeopleSoft's general counsel, has given notice and plans to leave sometime this year. PeopleSoft's director of public relations is also gone (but I can't find the name).
Industry analysts speculate that concern for job security -- heightened by Oracle's threatening bid -- is behind the departures. PeopleSoft contends that the turnover is normal for a company the size of PeopleSoft and that the departures just show how talented PeopleSoft's executives are.
I might also suggest that a little turnover is good sign that a recovery is underway in the technology sector, with new interesting and challenging positions opening up for these executives to jump to.
CNET has the story.by Frank Scavo, 3/17/2004 10:15:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, March 16, 2004
A quality systems view of 21 CFR Part 11
For some time, I've been critical of enterprise system vendors who claim their systems are "Part 11 compliant." (Part 11 refers to 21 CFR Part 11, the FDA's regulation regarding use of electronic records and electronic signatures.) My complaint, which reflects the FDA's viewpoint, is that software vendors, with very few exceptions, are not regulated by FDA. Therefore, their software products cannot be said to be "compliant." Part 11 does not regulate the vendors of commercial software--it regulates the users. At most, the vendors can "support compliance" by the users.
Part of the problem lies with software buyers who too often are looking for a silver bullet for Part 11. In my experience, companies pay too much attention to vendor claims of "Part 11 compliance" and not enough attention to whether their own IT departments and users are compliant in the maintenance and use of those vendors' systems.
Although Part 11 does require certain technical features of software, such as system-generated time-stamped audit trails, Part 11 mostly deals with the administrative and procedural controls that companies must establish in their use of systems. A computer system can have all of necessary Part 11 technical features, but if a company does not establish adequate administrative and procedural controls (e.g. limiting access to authorized individuals, rotating passwords, controlling system changes), that company will not be compliant with Part 11. I don't mean to imply that companies should ignore Part 11 technical controls. I would just like to see a little more balance.
So how can companies ensure that they are compliant with Part 11? By treating Part 11--and information systems in general--as an element of the firm's quality system. Simply,
Companies need to realize that there is no silver bullet for Part 11 compliance. Taking a quality systems view of information systems will ensure that companies are not only compliant from a technical perspective, but that information systems are trustworthy and reliable.
- Say what you do. Companies should review all information systems-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure that all of the administrative and procedural controls mandated by Part 11 are included. For example, is there an SOP that defines information security policies, and does it include rules for assigning and rotating passwords? Does the new employee procedure include a step to have the employee sign an agreement stating that his or her electronic signature is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature? There are dozens of points such as these that should be enacted in SOPs. The easiest way to do this is to develop a checklist based on the administrative and procedural controls of Part 11 and trace each item to SOPs. Where an item is not reflected in SOPs, a gap exists and SOPs should be revised or developed to cover that item. The result of this effort is a set of information systems SOPs that include all administrative and procedural controls required by Part 11.
This assessment of the firm's information systems SOPs should also address requirements for software validation, information security, and confidentiality, as appropriate.
- Do what you say. Once SOPs are developed to reflect Part 11 requirements, you must ensure that these SOPs are being followed in practice. An audit should be conducted globally to ensure that the Part 11 organizational-level requirements (e.g. new hire procedure) are being followed. The audit should also be performed on a system-by-system basis to ensure that the system-level SOPs (e.g. records retention, password rotation) are being followed. Again, a checklist can be developed directly from Part 11 to reflect these requirements. The audit should be repeated annually or bi-annually to ensure that the organization remains compliant.
Links to related posts
Oracle unveils new electronic signature functionality for FDA regulated manufacturers
FDA finalizes guidance for 21 CFR Part 11
FDA drops the other shoe on Part 11
FDA signals change in approach to Part 11
Possible solution for FDA electronic record audit trail compliance
Business success is more than regulatory compliance
Buzzword alert: "Part 11 compliance"by Frank Scavo, 3/16/2004 06:10:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, March 15, 2004
Oracle software quality improving
Nearly two years ago, I wrote about Oracle's dismal software quality in its 11i release. At the time only 16% of its user group members were live on 11i. But those who did endure the upgrade found, on average, that it cost 43% more than planned and took 39% longer than expected. Frequent bug fixes were a way of life.
Recent discussions with Oracle customers indicate that Oracle has overcome many of those problems. One CIO client of mine, who until late last year refused to upgrade to Oracle 11i, found few problems during the upgrade and is preparing to roll out the system to several new acquisitions.
Bill Swanton from AMR also sees improvements in Oracle's quality. In a follow up to AMR's survey of Oracle customers two years ago, he writes:I contacted many of the Oracle customers originally interviewed in 2002 to see how things have changed. All agreed that the level of software quality has improved, but it could still be better. As one company told me, "It has gone from being the number one issue to number three or four." More pressing at these customers are the classic issues common to all Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects, including user adoption, change management, and data quality . . . .AMR's research note has more details.
The quality gap between Oracle and its competitors has narrowed tremendously in the past two years. It should no longer be a major issue in new selections, nor should it be slowing existing customers from getting benefits from their investment. Companies are managing any remaining quality issues with automated regression-testing and system management tools. Oracle is sticking to the right path, and its ongoing efforts should continue to improve the software's quality.by Frank Scavo, 3/15/2004 08:30:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Thursday, March 11, 2004
Happy days here again?
There's good news for IT consulting firms in a recent C.S. First Boston survey of 100 CIOs of Fortune 1000 companies: 46% of respondents expect to increase spending for IT consulting in 2004. In a similar survey last October, only 38% of respondants expected to increase spending on consultants in 2004. So, the trend definitely is up.
CNet has a summary of the survey.by Frank Scavo, 3/11/2004 07:38:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Microsoft Software Assurance: no bang for big bucks
John Fontana in Network World reports why some users are unhappy with Microsoft's Software Assurance program, whereby users pay maintenance fees to Microsoft in exchange for upgrades. The problem: in some cases, Microsoft has delivered no upgrades.Scott Matthews, CTO for Digitech Systems. . . . in June 2002. . .spent $30,000 on a software maintenance contract for SQL Server under Microsoft's new annuity licensing program called Software Assurance. .... When Matthews signed the contract, a new version of SQL Server code-named Yukon was slated for release in 2003, but the ship date slipped into early 2004 and then to the end of this year, which is beyond the expiration date of his contract.Fontana points out that user dissatisfaction with the Software Assurance plan could soon hit Microsoft where it hurts. Hundreds of thousands of user contracts expire this July, and many of them probably won't renew.
"We were specifically planning to upgrade to Yukon, which we had been expecting for ages," Matthews says. "It leaves a bad taste in your mouth. As the CTO, it puts me in a bad position to go into the CFO and tell him we got nothing for this and this and this."by Frank Scavo, 3/10/2004 08:04:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Rumor confirmed: Agilisys is acquiring daly.commerce
The rumor I reported on Mar. 4 appears to be true. Agilisys has a welcome message to daly.commerce users on its web site. With the acquisition of daly, plus its earlier acquisition of German ERP vendor infor, Agilisys is moving into the triple-A league of enterprise software. According to its press release, Agilisys expects to generate approximately $250M in revenue in 2005. The combined company will have over 7500 customers and 1200 employees globally. Agilisys will also have approximately $45 million in cash on its balance sheet following the acquisition. The company's recent moves have consolidated three ERP systems and one wholesale distribution vendor: a nice combination, especially if Agilisys can integrate daly's functionality across its ERP offerings.by Frank Scavo, 3/10/2004 06:30:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Users should push forward with RFID, despite issues
In several conferences lately, I've noticed a great deal of user interest in RFID, much or most of it driven by mandates from major players such as Wal-mart, Target, Albertson's (just announced last week), and the US Department of Defense (DoD). However, one thorny issue is that there are two competing RFID standards: one, the Electronic Product Code (EPC) standard, favored by the retail supply chain, and the other, the international (ISO 18000) standard favored by the U.S. DoD.
Enrico Camerinelli at Meta Group thinks that users should push ahead with RFID pilot projects, in spite of the uncertainty surrounding RFID standards. He writes:Among the issues surrounding RFID technology, the hottest relates to the final standard (e.g., EPC, ISO) that -- when eventually decided -- will open the gates to its mass adoption. The fear of choosing a potentially "wrong" standard is preventing many end-user companies from launching pilot RFID projects. This is a mistake, as the benefits of getting acquainted with the utilization of the technology and the ability to shape processes around it offset the risk of choosing the wrong standard. We believe the debate surrounding RFID standards, while important for achieving consistency and direction, is in reality an excuse used to "take time" and catch the passing RFID train by those enterprise software vendors who did not foresee the wide interest in RFID and have lagged in their support.I'm not sure which enterprise software vendors Camerinelli is referring to. In the Oracle and SSA events I attended recently, RFID was a hot topic. I think vendors are hoping that RFID will be the "next Y2K," at least in those industries where there are customer mandates.
For more on the issue of competing RFID standards, see my post from Nov. 4.
Separately, Soundview Research encourages users to push ahead with RFID pilot programs as the only way to work out problems with the technology.RFID is still a developing technology and, as a result, there are problems with existing tags and readers. There are concerns that new RFID technology will interfere with existing RFID technology within the areas through which products are being trafficked. It is also obvious that one frequency and one tag design will not fit every situation; each business will have to figure out how RFID technology can best be deployed in their respective warehouse or backroom. The only way to get through these hurdles is by trial and error. Nothing is going to happen while everybody is on the sidelines. Wal-Mart realizes this and continues to push forward, causing the RFID obstacles to be addressed now. As RFID is adopted, the price of chips and readers will come down, and read rates will improve. The anticipated short-term solution will be a hybrid environment with both bar codes and RFID tags being utilized until all the kinks within RFID are worked out.IDC is now forecasting the U.S. market for RFID as $1.3B by 2008, noting that several of Wal-mart's major suppliers have launched pilot programs after realizing that Wal-mart isn't going to move its January 1, 2005 deadline. As Soundview Research notes, "Over the last couple weeks, RFID-related-technology suppliers have seen a significant increase in customer inquiries which appears to be driven by the outcome of one-on-one meetings with Wal-Mart."by Frank Scavo, 3/09/2004 07:54:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, March 08, 2004
Baan users flock to SSA road show
Last week, I attended the SSA road show in Newport Beach, CA, to see what progress SSA has been making in assimilating all of its acquisitions over the past two years. Interestingly, a show of hands indicated that about two thirds of the 70 attendees were Baan users. And they came with lots of questions about the future of their investment in Baan products. The team from SSA stressed to the Baan users that support would continue and be strengthened, but it was clear that the Baan acquisition is still being assimilated. Baan had some good products, such as its world class CRM, PDM, and logistics systems. Industry needs more choices, not fewer, and I would like nothing better than to short-list the former Baan products in the future.
My one complaint is SSA's insistence on rebranding all of its acquisitions with generic names. Think of the yellow store-brand canned vegetables in your local supermarket. For example, the former well-known Baan "CAPS Logistics" system is now known as "SSA Logistics and Transportation Management" or something like that--you can see what a strong impression the name made on me. Even worse, the Tier I former EXE EXEeed product line is now known as "SSA Warehouse Management"--a real bell-ringer. But wait--"SSA Warehouse Management" is not just products from the EXE acquisition. It also includes the Warehouse BOSS product that SSA picked up previously from Computer Associates. These are all good products, and it is unfortunate that SSA's marketing group has genericized the names to the point that it is impossible to discern their genealogy. It would be one thing if SSA had rewritten them to a common database schema or code base. But to this point, they are largely the same products that SSA acquired.
Most of the questions in the road show were concerning on-going support, and SSA made a big point of its plans for increasing the value of its maintenance program. The numbers that SSA presented indicate that they are doing a good job of getting customers back on maintenance. Maintenance support doesn't make for great press releases, but it's what customers are willing to pay for if the value is there.
Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and radio frequency identification (RFID) were two other topics that got strong response from the audience. I was surprised at how much interest there was on these points. The presenters indicated that customers have been asking a lot of questions about Sarbanes-Oxley, so SSA bundled together a number of their offerings (e.g. business process mapping, performance reporting) that could be used as part of a compliance initiative and is presenting them as their offering for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. To me, there is no software silver bullet for compliance, but still users are showing a lot of interest in anything that can make the job easier.
Concerning RFID, a number of Baan customers are in the aerospace and defense sector, so the Department of Defense initiative for RFID is a real concern. Others are suppliers to Walmart or Target, so those mandates are also looming. Fortunately, SSA's acquisition of EXE last year gives SSA some real subject-matter expertise in this area, and I believe this will be a driver for new sales for SSA. If so, SSA will have acquired EXE at exactly the right time.by Frank Scavo, 3/08/2004 08:42:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Sunday, March 07, 2004
PeopleSoft will offer EnterpriseOne on Linux
According to a press release, PeopleSoft is porting portions of its EnterpriseOne suite (formerly J.D. Edwards One World) to Linux. Functionality to be offered on Linux includes HR, SCM, supplier relationship management, financials, asset management, and project management. General availability will be in Q2 2004, with release of EnterpriseOne version 8.10. Linux will be supported at three tiers: database, application, and web server.
PeopleSoft already offers its Enterprise suite (the original PeopleSoft product line) over Linux, with RedHat as its distribution of choice.
PeopleSoft's announcement fulfills a prediction of mine 18 months ago.by Frank Scavo, 3/07/2004 12:27:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Saturday, March 06, 2004
Productivity risks in offshore outsourcing
Last week, I wrote about six risks in outsourcing IT functions to offshore service providers. In response, Bob Boyd wrote to me about an additional risk: lower productivity. Bob's feedback is most interesting in that he can hardly be accused of being an opponent of offshore outsourcing. He is a VP at eFORCE, an IT services firm that offers services onshore in the US and Europe, and offshore from its own development center in India. So, Bob is speaking from direct experience. I'm quoting his entire message below, with my comments in [brackets].I'll add another item to your offshore risk list: lower productivity. Productivity differences in software development have been the subject of many studies. These studies invariably find a large variation in productivity. The first (top) quartile is often ten times (not 10% or 100%, but 1000%) more productive than the average (let's say, the third quartile). The fourth quartile is often found to be negatively productive. That is, more time is spent fixing their code than would have been required for someone in the third quartile to write it in the first place.Bob's feedback confirms my view that offshore outsourcing is and will be an important element in business and IT strategy for some or many companies. On the one hand, business decision-makers cannot afford to exclude outsourcing as an option. On the other hand, there are significant risks and unrecognized costs in outsourcing business functions, especially when those functions and processes are not well-controlled to begin with.
In the US, starting around 2000, we effectively eliminated from the software development labor pool what used to be the fourth quartile. That has driven the productivity of the total labor pool way up in the US. Furthermore, labor rates in the US are stagnant or falling. [Therefore, U.S. programmers appear more productive for two reasons: with the general decline in the tech sector, the programmers that are still employed tend to be the better performers, and overall wage rates are weakening.]
In contrast, in India, software development is constantly attracting new entrants to the labor pool. (The Wall Street Journal noted recently that the average age of Indian software engineers is 26.) These new entrants are generally the least productive. At the same time, the labor rates for the top quartile [the most experienced and productive ones] are rising quickly. So, the average productivity of the Indian programming labor pool is falling while labor costs are rising.
So, without reference to whether US or Indian workers individually are more productive, there is a growing difference in productivity between the two labor pools. Combine that with rising labor costs in Bangalore and other tech cities and you may discover that when truly equivalent personnel are compared, there is no longer a labor arbitrage opportunity.
Counterbalancing this "labor pool productivity gap" is the higher management process discipline that Indian firms have implemented. Indian firms have had to sell their services based on some fairly abstract measures of "goodness" (CMM Levels, SEI standards, etc.) because, by definition, they are out of sight. Hence offshore firms have focused on management process discipline. Process discipline is important in overcoming the problems that beset projects with distributed development teams, operating in offset work shifts, from different cultures, with more than ten simultaneous contributors.
These same management disciplines were rarely adopted in the US because, generally, they drive up the cost of the project. In the US, it was more efficient to simply hire from the first quartile and put everyone in the same room. We all know intuitively the difference between programming as a craft ("low ceremony") and programming as engineering ("high ceremony"). This difference is highlighted by the ongoing debate between advocates of the Rational Unified Process (RUP) and Xtreme Programming. It is generally true that if software can be produced with low ceremony, it will be cheaper than if it is produced with high ceremony. However, budget decision-makers often mistake which type of project they are funding. Quite a lot of business systems development is craft work. [In other words, business IT functions, which are now being outsourced, are traditionally performed without a lot of formal project management controls. But if the formal controls are not put in place, the outsourcing initiative is unlikely to be successful. This is a risk that is generally not recognized when business executives consider outsourcing business IT functions.]
The result is that if five or six US-based, first quartile, highly productive, code-slinging cowboys can do the job and they are available, then you'll get it better-faster-cheaper than trying to send it offshore. But if, by the nature of the task, a code-slinger's posse isn't an option, then offshore may be the right answer.
Large application maintenance and enhancement projects are a good example of an offshore opportunity NOT because such projects are simpler or easier--they aren't. But because such projects are long duration, the cowboy approach doesn't work. Cowboys have a wandering nature. [In other words, the top programmers prefer to work on new development.]
I think the US is emerging from a three year period in which, when choosing between better-faster-cheaper, "cheaper" was the predominant buying criteria--because of uncertain corporate revenue projections. In the preceding dot.com days, "faster" was the predominant buying criteria, because capturing new markets was the chief strategic concern.by Frank Scavo, 3/06/2004 04:30:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Agilisys acquires Infor
U.S. enterprise system vendor Agilisys is acquiring German ERP vendor Infor Business Solutions (spelled, all lower case, "infor"). Agilisys is not a familiar name, but it might soon be, if it continues to buy up other vendors. Agilisys was formed in 2002 when SCT spun off its well-regarded Adage ERP system, which had excellent process manufacturing functionality. Agilisys then acquired Brain, a German vendor of ERP systems for the automotive industry. Now with the acquisition of Infor, Agilisys gets an additional 3,500 customers, mostly in Europe, with strong presence in several verticals, such as plastics, furniture, building materials, jewelry, and automotive.
When Adage was under SCT's ownership, I used to see them occasionally in new deals, especially in foods and pharmaceuticals, where the process-orientation of Adage demo'ed very well. But since the spin off as Agilisys, I have not seen them at all, at least not out here in California. Perhaps with the acquisition of two German vendors, the company is making a bigger push in Europe.
Update, Mar. 4: A reader has alerted me to a rumor circulating that Agilisys is about to acquire daly.commerce, a privately-held enterprise distribution system vendor. I have no independent confirmation of this.by Frank Scavo, 3/03/2004 03:14:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, March 01, 2004
Quick look at DOJ's complaint against Oracle
Last month I wrote an analysis of what I thought would be the DOJ's definition of the market in deciding whether to allow Oracle's takeover of PeopleSoft to proceed. Now that the DOJ has filed its complaint, we can see if I was right.
It appears that DOJ has limited its definition of the market in which Oracle and PeopleSoft compete as "high function Human Resource Management (HRM) software and high function Financial Management Services (FMS) software," rather than the whole array of enterprise systems, as I did in my analysis. Nevertheless, DOJ is making essentially the same argument that I predicted. I suspect that DOJ chose to limit its market definition to HRM and FMS so as to show a larger number of organizations affected. Although PeopleSoft sells the entire suite of enterprise applications, its installed base is disproportionately weighted toward HRM and FMS. So by defining the market in terms of "high function" HRM and FMS, it will be easier for DOJ to show a greater competitive overlap. Although I did indicate that Lawson competes with PeopleSoft in HR and financial systems, I still believe that this is more the case in the mid-tier, not the high end of the market.
The DOJ complaint against Oracle is on the DOJ web site.by Frank Scavo, 3/01/2004 09:48:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Suppliers must aim RFID at Target
Target Corp, operator of retailers Target, Marshall Fields, and Mervyn's, is initiating an RFID mandate for its suppliers. Target is calling for its top suppliers to include RFID tags on pallets and cases in 2005, with the rest of its supplier base to comply in 2007. Target is sketchy on the details, but its program will hopefully look a lot like Wal-mart's, which I described most recently in a post on Nov. 8.
Companies seldom invest in major new technologies without some sort of external pressure, such as a major customer mandate or governmental regulation. RFID appears to be enjoying both, with pressure for adoption coming from major customers such as Walmart and Target as well as from government initiatives, such as the FDA's RFID initiative in the pharmaceutical supply chain.by Frank Scavo, 3/01/2004 05:53:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Reliable Auto Body Shop Servicing Dodge Vehicles in Rochester, NY
When it comes to repairing your Dodge after an accident, our shop in Rochester, NY is your place to rely on for quality work and value. Our primary goal is to return each Dodge we repair as close to new condition as possible. We want you to be able to count on your Dodge now and in the years to come—and for that, you can count on us!
Return Your Dodge to Optimal Driving Condition
After being in an accident, your Dodge is probably not looking or running its best. Bring it to our shop in Rochester, NY to fix the issues quickly and at a fair price. It isn't lost on us that you're likely coming to our shop feeling stressed and unsure about the future of your vehicle. That's why we try to make our shop as welcoming as possible—we want to put you at ease, trusting that we'll capably take care of your Dodge.
Our services include:
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Today's cars and trucks are very reliable and able to withstand a lot of wear and tear, but a crash or collision can cause major damage to your Dodge, and maybe even some hidden damage that can shorten the life of your vehicle. Our technicians will give you honest, straightforward advice on repairs, and will never try to sell you repairs that you don't need or want. We also regularly deal with insurance companies, and help you with your insurance claim.
For Dodge Drivers in Rochester, We're Your Auto Body Shop!
Our shop appreciates that your Dodge is essential to your day-to-day life as well as a major investment. Therefore, we will care for your Dodge as if it was our own, and we will help you extend your vehicle's life, all at competitive pricing. Come by our shop in Rochester, NY or contact us online or by phone at (585) 663-3172 to make an appointment today!
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The City of Laguna Hills is a General Law City that operates under the Council/Manager form of government. The voters elect five Laguna Hills residents to the City Council for overlapping four-year terms. The Council, in turn, selects one of its members to serve as Mayor for a one-year term. Don Sedwick, Mayor; Melody Carruth, Mayor Pro Tempore; Dore Gilbert, M.D., Council Member; Janine Heft, Council Member; Barbara Kogerman, Council Member.


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The Penguin's guide to shorthanded poker
The Poker Penguin, a good friend of mine, shares his wisdom on the short-handed game Written by Poker Penguin
I especially love heads up or three-way action.
Aggression is repayed in spades (and every other suit, although flushes are just a bonus).
I've discovered that if you bet heavily with good hands, bet heavily with medium hands, and sometimes bet heavily with nothing, then most players will fold regularly. The players I like to go up against in shorthanded games think they need a hand of sorts to win. Any hand will do. Which means I punish them when they don't have a hand, and when they have second best.
Article continued on: Best Poker Offers
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The Poker Penguin shares two powerful poker truths, read on for more details...


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CID The Dummy
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CID THE DUMMY is a platform game that grabs you straight away with its amusing blend of action and puzzle-filled gameplay. Based around the multiple opportunities for a Crash Impact Dummy to get into mischief, the game blends classic platform elements such as timed jumps, collecting pick-ups, defeating enemies, and challenging boss battles with more cerebral elements such as puzzles, clever weapon use and route finding.
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Denmark's disabled access
Physical accessibility in Danish society has been rapidly improving over the last few decades. As a disabled visitor, you can access a wide variety of places, services and experiences on holiday in Denmark. Many local tourist offices have disability guides to their local area. See our Tourist offices section for how to contact them.
The Accessibility Label
The Accessibility Label is a tourism labelling scheme for accessibility. Details of all the attractions and services participating can be found on the Accessibility Label Scheme website.
Accessibility on Danish trains, buses, ferries and at airports is tailored to meet the needs of disabled visitors. Most ferries have special cabins and wide elevators for disabled passengers. Disabled toilets are provided on trains, as well as lifts and ramps for access on and off the train.
The Danish Centre for Assistive Technology is an excellent source of information for disabled visitors to Denmark.
If you need to rent a wheelchair or another device to assist you during your holiday in Denmark, contact one the following services: Senior Shop on +45 39 43 05 50, Danish Care Technology on +45 58 85 34 40, or Falck Aids on +45 48 17 13 55.
Accessing nature
Many of the Danish State Forests offer facilities to enable access for mobility-impaired visitors. Your local tourist office can help you find information from the Danish Forest and Nature Agency's website, which lists all disabled facilities in Danish.
Accessibility database
Danish wheelchair users gather and register information on wheelchair accessibility at attractions and restaurants all over Denmark. The result is the biggest accessibility database of its kind in Scandinavia. This excellent resource is in Danish, but ask the local tourist office of your destination for help accessing its information.


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Aggressive Hydraulics, the 50-employee manufacturer started by several shop-floor veterans 12 years ago who believed they could compete with Asian producers, completed its move last week to a new, $5 million factory in East Bethel.
"We're all in a little bit of a daze," reported CEO Paul Johnson, "This is such a nice facility. Everybody has been working hard, a lot of overtime. Monday was our first full day, making the final connections to our machines and getting the bugs out."
Despite preparations and the move, which started weeks ago, May shipments reached a record $1.5 million for the growing company that makes hydraulic pistons for heavy equipment in the construction, mining and energy industries. And this should be the best-ever year for the 12-year-old company, which is benefiting from the "on-shoring" trend that's also buoyed other U.S. manufacturers.
"We sure have the orders coming in," Johnson said.
At Aggressive, which struggled for two-plus years to get financing for the expansion, the five owner-managers put down $800,000 of their own money, or about 20 percent. St. Paul-based BankCherokee was the lead lender. About $500,000 in financing was provided by the Minneapolis-based Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD), which typically focuses on hard-to-do inner-city deals, and the city of East Bethel, which will get paid back from property taxes on the new plant. I wrote last fall about Aggressive as an example of solid small businesses that have been hard-pressed for expansion capital in the more conservative underwriting days since the Great Recession.
Aggressive had operated from three smaller facilities in Blaine.
Danish Hearing aid maker ReSound renovates Minnesota HQ
The Bloomington-based U.S. headquarters of ReSound, the Danish hearing-technology manufacturer, is undergoing a $2.5 million renovation that is expected to be completed in September.
Kim Herman, president of 435-employee ReSound USA, said business is growing and the company is hiring.
"The hearing aid industry grows 3 to 4 percent per year and we've been consistently growing faster than the industry," Herman said last week. "The devices are smaller and packed with technology.''
ReSound is the hearing aid arm of Denmark's GN Store Nord. About half of ReSound's revenue comes from North America.
In 2010, ReSound released the industry's first wireless hearing aid, and in January it released the first accessory that allows customers to control hearing aids from smartphones.
Herman, a medical-products industry veteran, was president of Minneapolis-based Coloplast USA, a subsidiary of another Danish firm, until she joined ReSound about a year ago.
The Twin Cities area is home to Eden Prairie-based Starkey Hearing Technologies, and is the U.S. hub for five other global hearing aid manufacturers, including Plymouth-based Miracle-Ear, the North American flagship of its Italian parent company, Amplifon.
Switzerland-based Unitron, another hearing aid maker, two years ago completed an expanded headquarters and manufacturing center in Plymouth for its more than 200 employees.
BMO draw a bead on Minnesota's millionaires
BMO Private Bank, the wealth management arm of BMO Harris Bank, is out with an interesting statistic on the rich.
Nearly 80 percent of Minnesota's millionaires claim they are self-made, one of the highest percentages in the country, according to the first in what the Chicago-based bank says will be a series of studies on Minnesota's well-heeled. Nationally, the percent claiming they are self-made is 67 percent.
Minnesota's wealthy also tend to be older than the national average. Only 10 percent are under 40. Nationally, about 25 percent under 40.
BMO defined the wealthy as people with investable assets of $1 million or more. The state has about 115,575 millionaire households by that definition, according to other industry stats, ranking us No. 17 in the nation in terms of the ratio of rich households to total households.
The bank said it's using the survey to better understand the market.
Here's how the Minnesotans answered some key questions:
My wealth was …
Primarily generated by me 78%
Primarily generated by my spouse 15%
From my divorce 1%
Inherited 1%
The survey was done last spring and covered a random sample of 482 wealthy U.S. adults, including 40 in Minnesota. BMO Harris, part of Canada's huge Bank of Montreal, entered the Twin Cities in 2011.
• Newgate School, the skills-building nonprofit founded nearly 40 years ago by Ron Severson, a one-time U of M instructor, will hold its first-ever open house on June 28 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Newgate, located in southeast Minneapolis, has trained thousands of disadvantaged young adults in auto mechanics and auto body repair, funded by the proceeds from donated cars that it fixes and sells, as well as donations from admirers. More information: www.newgateschool.org.
• Noble House Hotels has opened the Commons Hotel on Washington Avenue in Stadium Village on the east bank of the University of Minnesota, following a $15 million overhaul by owner RockBridge Capital. The hotel formerly was part of the Radisson chain. The new management says the Commons Hotel "gives nod to a geek-chic persona — incorporating a theme of contrasts inspired by its collegiate ties to the university and industrial history of the Twin Cities." Gotta see this.
• Little Falls Community High School, a first-place winner, and Mounds View High School were among the eight school teams that were finalists in this spring's 13th Annual National Economics Challenge in New York City, sponsored by the Council for Economics Education. The Council's personal-finance and economics education is used by 5 million K-12 students annually.


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Cystic FibrosisCystic Fibrosis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
What is cystic fibrosis?
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited disease characterized by an abnormality in the glands that produce sweat and mucus. Due to improved treatments, people with CF, on average, live into their mid to late 30s.
Cystic fibrosis affects various systems in children and young adults, including the following:
Respiratory system
Digestive system
Reproductive system
There are about 30,000 people in the U.S. who are affected with the disease, and about 1,000 babies are diagnosed with it each year. It occurs mainly in Caucasians, who have a northern European heredity, although it also occurs in African-Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.
Approximately one in 31 people in the U.S. are carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene. These people are not affected by the disease and usually do not know that they are carriers.
How does CF affect the respiratory system?
The basis for the problem with CF lies in an abnormal gene. The result of this gene defect is an atypical electrolyte transport system within the cells of the body. The abnormal transport system causes the cells in the respiratory system, especially the lungs, to absorb too much sodium and water. This causes the normal thin secretions in our lungs to become very thick and hard to remove. These thick secretions put the child with CF at risk for constant infection.
The high risk of infection in the respiratory system leads to damage in the lungs, lungs that do not work properly, and eventually death of the cells in the lungs. The most common causes for infection in the lungs of the CF patient are the following bacteria:
Staphylococcus aureus
Haemophilus influenzae
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA)
Over a period of time, PA becomes the most common bacteria that causes infection and becomes difficult to fight. A large percentage of respiratory infections in the CF patient are due to PA.
As a result of the high rate of infection in the lower respiratory tract, people with CF may develop a chronic cough, blood in the sputum, and sometimes can even have a collapsed lung. The cough is usually worse in the morning or after activity.
People with CF also have involvement of the upper respiratory tract. Some patients have nasal polyps that need surgical removal. Nasal polyps are small protrusions of tissue from the lining of the nose that go into the nasal cavity. Children also have a high rate of sinus infections.
How does CF affect the gastrointestinal (GI) system?
The organ primarily affected is the pancreas, which secretes substances that aid digestion and help control blood-glucose levels.
As a result of the abnormal electrolyte transport system in the cells, the secretions from the pancreas become thick and lead to an obstruction of the ducts of the pancreas. This obstruction then causes a decrease in the secretion of enzymes from the pancreas that normally help to digest food. A person with CF has difficulty absorbing proteins, fats, and vitamins A, D, E, and K.
The problems with the pancreas can become so severe that some of the cells in the pancreas can become destroyed. This may lead to glucose intolerance and insulin-dependent diabetes. About 35 percent of CF patients develop this type of diabetes in their 20s and 43 percent develop the disease after 30 years of age.
The symptoms that may be present due to the involvement with the GI tract include the following:
Bulky, greasy stools
Rectal prolapse--a condition in which the end part of the bowels comes out of the anus.
Delayed puberty
Fat in the stools
Stomach pain
Bloody diarrhea
The liver may also be affected. A small number of patients may actually develop liver disease. Symptoms of liver disease may include:
Enlarged liver
Swollen abdomen
Yellow color to the skin
Vomiting of blood
How does CF affect the reproductive system?
Most males with CF have obstruction of the sperm canal known as congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD). This results from the abnormal electrolyte transport system in the cells, causing the secretions to become thick and lead to an obstruction and infertility. Women also have an increase in thick cervical mucus that may lead to a decrease in fertility, although many women with CF have children.
What are the symptoms of cystic fibrosis?
The following are the most common symptoms for cystic fibrosis. However, individuals may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
Abnormalities in the glands that produce sweat and mucus
This may cause a loss of salt. A loss of salt may cause an upset in the balance of minerals in the blood, abnormal heart rhythms, and, possibly, shock.
Thick mucus that accumulates in the lungs and intestines
This may cause malnutrition, poor growth, frequent respiratory infections, breathing difficulties, and/or lung disease.
Other medical problems, such as:
Nasal polyps
Clubbing of fingers and toes--a condition marked by the ends of the fingers and toes become enlarged; more prevalent in the fingers.
Pneumothorax--the presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity causing the lung to collapse.
Hemoptysis--coughing blood.
Cor pulmonale--enlargement of right side of heart.
Abdominal pain
Gas in the intestines
Rectal prolapse
Liver disease
Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) in males
As stated above, the symptoms of CF differ for each person. Infants born with CF usually show symptoms by age two. Some children, though, may not show symptoms until later in life. The following signs are suspicious of CF, and infants having these signs may be tested for CF:
Diarrhea that does not go away
Foul-smelling stools
Greasy stools
Frequent episodes of wheezing
Frequent episodes of pneumonia or other lung infections
Persistent cough
Skin tastes like salt
Poor growth despite a good appetite
The symptoms of cystic fibrosis may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Consult a doctor for a diagnosis.
How is cystic fibrosis diagnosed?
Most cases of cystic fibrosis are now identified with newborn screening. In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for cystic fibrosis include a sweat test to measure the amount of sodium chloride (salt) present. Higher than normal amounts of sodium and chloride suggest cystic fibrosis. Other diagnostic procedures include:
Chemical tests
Chest X-rays
Lung function tests
Sputum cultures
Stool evaluations
For babies, who do not produce enough sweat, blood tests may be used.
Treatment for cystic fibrosis
Specific treatment for cystic fibrosis will be determined by your doctor based on:
Your age, overall health, and medical history
Extent of the disease
Expectations for the course of the disease
Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
Your opinion or preference
Currently, there is no cure for CF. A cure would call for gene therapy at an early age and this has not been developed yet, although research is being done in this direction. The gene that causes CF has been identified and there are hopes that this will lead to an increased understanding of the disease. Also being researched are different drug regimens to help stop CF. Goals of treatment are to ease severity of symptoms and slow the progress of the disease. Treatment may include:
Management of problems that cause lung obstruction, which may involve:
Physical therapy
Exercise to loosen mucus, stimulate coughing, and improve overall physical condition
Medications to reduce mucus and help breathing
Antibiotics to treat infections
Management of digestive problems, which may involve:
Appropriate diet
Pancreatic enzymes to aid digestion
Vitamin supplements
Treatments for intestinal obstructions
Newer therapies include lung transplantation for patients with end-stage lung disease. The type of transplant done is usually a heart-lung transplant, or a double lung transplant. Not everyone is a candidate for a lung transplant. Discuss this with your doctor.
The genetics of cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease. This means that CF is inherited. A person will be born with CF only if two CF genes are inherited - one from the mother and one from the father. A person who has only one CF gene is healthy and said to be a "carrier" of the disease. A carrier has an increased chance of having a child with CF. This type of inheritance is called "autosomal recessive." "Autosomal" means that the gene is on one of the first 22 pairs of chromosomes which do not determine gender, so that the disease equally affects males and females. "Recessive" means that two copies of the gene, one inherited from each parent, are necessary to have the condition. Once parents have had a child with CF, there is a one in four, or 25 percent chance with each subsequent pregnancy, for another child to be born with CF. This means that there is a three out of four, or 75 percent chance, for another child to not have CF.
The birth of a child with CF is often a total surprise to a family, since most of the time (in eight out of 10 families) there is no previous family history of CF. Many autosomal recessive conditions occur this way. Since both parents are healthy, they had no prior knowledge that they carried the gene, nor that they passed the gene to the pregnancy at the same time.
Genes are founds on structures in the cells of our body called chromosomes. There are normally 46 total, or 23 pairs of chromosomes in each cell of our body. The seventh pair of chromosomes contains a gene called the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator) gene. Mutations or errors in this gene are what cause CF. This gene is quite large and complex. Over 1,000 different mutations in this gene have been found which cause CF.
The risk for having a mutation in the gene for CF depends on your ethnic background (for persons without a family history of CF):
Ethnic Background
Risk of CF Mutation
Risk of Child with CF
1 in 29
1 in 2,500-3,500
1 in 46
1 in 4,000-10,000
1 in 65
1 in 15,000-20,000
1 in 90
1 in 100,000
Testing for the CF gene can be done from a small blood sample or from a cheek swab, which is a brush rubbed against the inside of your cheek to obtain cells for testing. Laboratories generally test for the most common mutations.
There are many people with CF whose mutations have not been identified. In other words, all of the genetic errors that cause the disease have not been discovered. Because not all mutations are detectable, a person can still be a CF carrier even if no mutations were found by carrier testing.
Testing for the CF gene is recommended for anyone who has a family member with the disease, or whose partner is a known carrier of CF or affected with CF.


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The world's best surfers congregated at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre last night for the ASP World Champions' Crowning.
Surfing's "night of nights", the ASP World Champions' Crowning would prove an emotional evening, with a final farewell from a sporting icon and the acknowledgement of two surfing dynasties.
Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew (AUS), 54, will be stepping down from his post as ASP International President at the end of March, and last night's ASP World Champions' Crowning would prove a fitting farewell for the legendary sportsman. As Bartholomew finished a heart-warming diatribe chronicling the rise of professional surfing, the former world champion received a raucous standing ovation by the 600 strong in attendance.
Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning ASP World Champion, was awarded with a phenomenal ninth World Crown, and thanked his fellow athletes for pushing the high-performance boundaries of competitive surfing as well as announcing his intentions for a tenth ASP World Title campaign in 2009.
Other ASP World Tour athletes awarded last night were 2008 ASP World Tour Runner-Up Bede Durbidge (AUS), 25, Rookie of the Year Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, and a tie for 'Most Improved' with Adrian Buchan (AUS), 26, and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22.
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, was both articulate and poignant in her acceptance speech for her second consecutive ASP Women's World Title, and her professionalism, both in the water and in front of the microphone, was heralded by audience members throughout the evening.
Other ASP Women's World Tour athletes awarded last night were 2008 ASP Women's World Tour Runner-Up Silvana Lima (BRA), 24, Rookie of the Year Nicola Atherton (AUS), 22, and 'Most Improved' Melanie Bartels (HAW), 26.
Bonga Perkins (HAW), 36, and Joy Monahan (HAW), 22, took home the ASP World Longboarding and ASP Women's World Longboarding Titles respectively, while Nathaniel Curran (USA), 24, and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), 18, received honors for ASP WQS No. 1 finishes in 2008.
Kai Barger (HAW), 19, and Pauline Ado (FRA), 18, were crowned ASP World Junior Champions and are now recognized as being leaders in the assault of the next generation.
Taylor Knox (USA), 37, a veteran of the ASP Dream Tour for 15 years, was honored with the prestigious Peter Whittaker Award, while Alexander Fontes (BRA), 49, a ten-year tour judge of over 225 events, received the ASP Service to the Sport Award.
The ASP World Champions Crowning marks the official end of the 2008 ASP World Tour seasons and with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and Roxy Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile preparing for starts tomorrow, 2009 is well underway.
Awards Recipient List:
2008 ASP World Champion: Kelly Slater (USA)
2008 ASP Women's World Champion: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
2008 ASP World Tour Runner-Up: Bede Durbidge (AUS)
2008 ASP Women's World Tour Runner-Up: Silvana Lima (BRA)
2008 ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year: Dane Reynolds (USA)
2008 ASP Women's World Tour Rookie of the Year: Nicola Atherton (AUS)
2008 ASP World Tour 'Most Improved': Adrian Buchan (AUS) and Adriano de Souza (BRA)
2008 ASP Women's World Tour 'Most Improved': Melanie Bartels (HAW)
2008 ASP World Longboard Champion: Bonga Perkins (HAW)
2008 ASP Women's World Longboard Champion: Joy Monahan (HAW)
2008 ASP World Junior Champion: Kai Barger (HAW)
2008 ASP Women's World Junior Champion: Pauline Ado (FRA)
2008 ASP WQS No. 1: Nathaniel Curran (USA)
2008 ASP WQS Women's No. 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
Peter Whittaker Award: Taylor Knox (USA)
ASP Service to the Sport: Alexander Fontes (BRA)


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This might be incoherent or bleeding obvious, it's just some observations tied together to make one big generalisation. I'm always very interested in thoughtful feedback https://infinite-coincidence.com/201...m-of-gambling/
This might be incoherent or bleeding obvious, it's just some observations tied together to make one big generalisation. I'm always very interested in thoughtful feedback https://infinite-coincidence.com/201...m-of-gambling/
i suppose if i were you id contribute to the forum a bit more and chill out with the self-promotion. just saying like.
Thanks for listening. Welcome aboard etc
While there are several motives for voting for right wing parties, and skimming through your link I'd say it's more referring to the right wing populists (of course we have to deal with blurry lines here) of late, I wouldn't call it "gambling". Yes, there are clearly many people pretty desperate out there voting for those populists simply bc they have the impression their needs are not being met by any other parties/politicians right now - the (in)famous "deplorables". They might be naive to some extent, or clearly vote for the "lesser evil", at least according to their personal situation.
But a great deal of those populists' voters are negative, fear-ridden people with a basically destructive mindset.
This seems as good a thread to take the temperature of national populism.
Austrian rejection of Hofer, Dutch rejection of Wilders, AFD falling to pieces in Germany, Le Pen, I dont think will succeed in France.
Some of these have been close, but Brexit/Trump seem to be outliers pushed over the line by some fairly special circumstances.
Centrists and the EU have a chance now to get their shit together before the climate crisis really hits. Defeating fascism means pulling the centre to the left, and that falls to all of us.
Brits need to hold their nose and vote for labour and greens despite the legitimate concerns over both.
Especially the Trump victory and the following 24-7 ongoing show of incompetence *might* have deterred some people in the Netherlands actually voting for Wilders, a very similar type to Trump (and the other populists).
Of course, the "but he won some extra seats" argument was quickly used by the aforementioned cheerleaders after their utter disappointment The self-proclaimed goal of getting the majority wasn't met by a far margin, that's why the result could very well be interpreted as an actual defeat.
Mark Rutte, leader of the VVD, published this in one of the biggest newspapers just before the elections:
I don't even know where to start...To all Dutchmen,
There's something wrong with our country. How is it possible that we, as a country, are so wealthy, but that some people behave so poorly? People who set the tone in our country more and more. Who are willing to overthrow everything we, the Netherlands, have worked so hard for. We can't let that happen!
Most people have good will. The silent majority. We want the best for our country. We work hard, help one another, and think the Netherlands are quite a cool country. But we do worry about the way we treat one another. Sometimes it seems like no-one behaves normally anymore.
You probably recognise it. People seem to behave more and more anti-socially. In traffic, in public transport, and in the streets. Who think they always have right of way. Who dump their garbage on the street. Who spit at conductors. Who hang around in groups and bully people, threaten them or even assault them. Not normal.
We feel increasingly uneasy when people abuse our freedom to undermine our country, even though they came to our country for that freedom. People who refuse to adapt, dislike our traditions and reject our values. Who harrass gays, cat-call women in short skirts, or call normal Dutchmen racist. I understand it all too well when people think: if you reject our country in such a fundamental manner, I'd rather have you leave. Because I feel the same. Behave normally or leave.
Never should we accept this behaviour as normal in our country. The solution is not, to lump together groups of people, to insult them, or to simply deport whole groups of people. We can't build a society like that. The solution is mainly a matter of mentality. We should continu to make clear what is and what is not normal in this country. We have to defend our values actively.
For in the Netherlands, it's normal to shake hands and treat one another like equals. It is normal not to assault first-aid helpers. To treat teachers with respect and to not bully people with vlogs. It is normal to work for your money and try to make the best out of your life. To help one another when things are rough and hug people when times are tough. It is normal to do your best and not to walk away from your problems. That you listen to others. Rather than yell if you disagree with someone.
The near future will decide our country's direction. We only need to answer one question: what kind of country do we want to be?
Let us fight for being able to feel at home in our beautiful country. Let us make clear what is normal and what is not. I'm sure we can do that. That we can reïnforce what we made together thus far. You, I, all of us. Let us coöperate to improve our country even better. Because we really are a really cool country. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Would you?
Mark Rutte
I admire people's optimism. I hope it is that and not cpmplacency after Austria and Holland. Droid is definitely right aboit the climate, the great unmentionable in any election campaign. Strangely Le Pen has apparently, quietly, moved away from outright denial, which I thought was fulcral to the whole global far-right agenda, it's possibly she's moving into more eco-entho-nationalism but it's too depressing to find out more about.
Its not optimism, per se, rather an attempt at a realistic look at things. Its important not to let pessimism overwhelm. The world is complex and many of the factors that have enabled ethno-nationalism also work against it.
This is not the great global wave of fascism, not yet anyway.
And socialism is good faith - you believe that humans can work together etc.
Simple positivity and negativeness, or is there a neat counter argument from the rightist perspective?
(Droid, obvs must be exceptional in his utterly pessimistic worldview)
I suppose that going back to the question at hand, it's nothing intrinsic about the far-right that makes voting for them a gamble, it's just that they are presenting themselves as a radical departure from the establishment, thus a leap into the unknown, so that's a gamble? but the same could be said for Corbyn, doesnt seem to help much though. How come Labour can't seem to successfully harness "populism"?
also, can the left be Nationalist (as suggested by Adam Curtis at his talk the other day)? Is that what it needs to get it's shit back together?
also Kingsnorth seems to be steering an environmentalism towards fascism, wtf's up with that?
There's always been a strong link between the far right and environmentalism


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Mailing AddressVashon-Maury Chamber of CommercePO Box 1035 | Vashon, WA 98070Phone: 206-463-6217Winter Office Hours: Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Our office is located just a few driveways on the right as you enter the north end of town.
We are located at 17141 Vashon Highway SW, just across from Ober Park on the west side of the highway.
© 2013 Vashon-Muary Island Chamber of Commerce, all rights reserved.
Site hosted by ChamberMaster


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Rune Stone Age Clip Of The Week
April 7th, 2011
Volcom put out some footage of Rune assaulting the Bondi Bowl, some concrete parks and basically annihilating everything in his path! THE DANISH DESTROYER KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES. Watch the video below and Click Here to check out his CPH PRO commercial if you missed it.
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An update from Georgia, a Perkins School of Theology student studying in South Africa:
My trip to South Africa has been truly awesome. The most emotional tour for me was the visit to Robben Island. I had not realized that it was also a whole community and not just a prison. The place was cold, hard, echo-layered and haunting. The very thought of Nelson Mandela surviving 27 years of imprisonment there was almost unbelievable. You could sense the evil and the hatred with each step taken.
Yet, in spite of this — and upon his release from prison — Mandela called for reconciliation and forgiveness. This truly exemplified the teaching of Jesus Christ.


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Technology Feature
The LiDAR Advantage
Whether from a fixed-position or mobile, on the ground or from above, we've got you covered with LiDAR laser scanning solutions. SAM offers a multi-platform approach with LiDAR to provide our clients with a single, trusted source for laser scanning services. Find out more about the benefits of LiDAR and how we can use this technology to radically improve data acquisition to meet your project needs.
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text: Waldo played clarinet in a Dixieland Band that got booked for a cruise in the Pacific. He proceeds to have the time of his life - until the boat sank. He found himself swept up on the shore of an island with no other people, no supplies... Nothing. Only bananas and coconuts. After about four months, he is lying on the beach one day when the most gorgeous woman he has ever seen rows up to him. In disbelief, he asks her, "Where did you come from? How did you get here?" "I rowed over from the other side of the island," she says. "I landed here when my cruise ship sank." "Amazing," he says. "You were lucky to have a rowboat wash up with you." "Oh, this?" replies the woman. "I made the rowboat out of raw material found on the island. I whittled the oars from gum tree branches; I wove the bottom from palm branches; and the sides and stern came from a Eucalyptus tree." "Impossible," he stutters. "You had no tools. How did you manage?" "Oh, no problem," replies the woman. "On the South side of the island, there is a very unusual strata of alluvial rock exposed. I found if I fired it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into forgeable ductile iron. I used that for tools and used the tools to make the hardware." Ed is stunned. "Let's row over to my place," she says. After a few minutes of rowing, she docks the boat at a small wharf. As Ed looks onto shore, he nearly falls out of the boat. Before him is a stone walk leading to an exquisite bungalow painted in blue and white. While the woman ties up the rowboat with an expertly woven hemp rope, he can only stare ahead, dumbstruck. As they walk into the house, she says casually, "It's not much, but I call it home. Sit down, please. Would you like to have a drink?" "No thanks," he says, still dazed. "Can't take any more coconut juice." "No coconut juice," she replies. "I built a still. How about a Pina Colada?" Trying to hide his continued amazement, he accepts, and they sit down on her hand-woven couch to talk. After they have exchanged their stories, the woman announces, "I'm going to slip into something more comfortable. Would you like to take a shower and shave? There is a razor upstairs in the cabinet in the bathroom." No longer questioning anything, Ed goes into the bathroom. There, in the cabinet, is a razor made from a bone handle. Two shells honed to a hollow-ground edge are fastened on to its end inside of a swivel mechanism. "WOW! This woman is amazing," he muses, "what next?" When he returns, she greets him wearing 'nothing but vines' strategically positioned, and smelling faintly of gardenias. She beckons for him to sit down next to her. "Tell me," she begins suggestively, slithering closer to him, "We've been out here for a really long time. I know you've been lonely. There's something I'm sure you really feel like doing right now, something you've been longing for all these months. You know..." She stares into his eyes. He can't believe what he's hearing! "You mean ...", he swallows excitedly, You have a clarinet that I can play?


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2013 PLUS Application Now Available
ONU Law's Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program is designed to expose students to the fundamental skills necessary to succeed at law school and as a lawyer, offer a comprehensive look at the legal profession and inspire you to pursue a career in law. The program is a three-week residential program funded by the law college. The primary goal of the program is to promote diversity in the legal profession and is directed at freshman and sophomores (rising sophomores and juniors) from groups that are underrepresented in the legal profession or face significant financial and familial obstacles in their pursuit of a career in law.
The Program: June 9-28, 2013
Visit the PLUS Program's webpage for more information about the program and how to submit the Free 2013 PLUS Application.


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Motor Trend
Chrysler to Invest in Toledo, Add More Than 1000 Jobs
Chrysler wants to add 1105 jobs to its Jeep Liberty/Dodge Nitro SUV plant in its Toledo Assembly Complex, according to the Toledo Blade newspaper. The automaker plans to invest more than $365 million to update and expand the plant to add a second shift. The investment could be the first of many at the complex that also builds the Jeep…Read More


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Selling 1 Uniden BC 780 XLT scanner. Scanner is in good condition with some scratches on top of case and on sides but are mostly minimal. Display appears to be good with no obvious damage or scratches. I am not the original owner of this scanner but it does function 100%. Comes with scanner, antenna, and AC power plug. Shipping via Fed Ex 2 day delivery to physical street address only. Tracking information will be provided, and will ship within 24 hours of receipt of payment. Payment via US Postal Money Order ONLY! Next day Fed Ex delivery available for an additional cost. Selling for $150. PM me with any questions. Thanks for looking.
Price reduced to $140 and will include a Uniden 12 watt external speaker in great condition.
Scanner has been sold.


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affaction needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 16 designs submitted by 7 freelance designers.
Class of 1988
TheClassof1988.org needs a redesigned look. We want the look to be more appealing to those users who graduated high school from a U.S. school in the late 80s. This is a simple 1 page site.
United States users who graduated from high school in the late 1980s. So, late 1980s pop-culture should be incorporated into the design.
We simply want to redesign the existing look http://www.theclassof1988.org/.
We want to use a similar layout, but need a more professional and appealing look geared towards high school graduates from the late 1980s in the United States.
The design should be geared towards getting users to use the school lookup tool. So, visual focus should try to funnel users to the "select your high school" area. We do not want to recreate a completely new layout, we simply want a more appealing, cleaner, and professional design compared to what we have.
Any images included into the design MUST be free for us to use and MUST not be restricted use.


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Ok, our kids think we are crazy but besides the chickens, pheasants & peafowl we just got 2 nigerian dwarf goats!! They are the sweetest and cutest little guys I've ever seen! They are 2 wks old. We have to bottle feed them and because of that they have bonded with us very fast. They are de-horned and neutered so they will be great pets.
This is Louie
This is Ollie
So Sweet!
Very cute.
How big will they get?
They will only get 18 to 22 inches tall. They are the sweetest little guys! Olie likes to snuggle - once he's done eating of course. Louie likes to play alot. They are just like dogs - very attached to us.
They are CUTE!
Very good pix. They look so cute and beautiful.
They look healthy. Which thing you give them except milk?
I like white baby so much.
ooo extremely cute !!
Roben wrote:
OMG Damn So beautiful


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Getting To Know Me-1
I am a librarian, a grandfather, an Army brat, a fairly good photographer, and a rather undisciplined genealogist. I have very eclectic taste in music, but 60s style folk is my favorite. I read adventure novels for relaxation. I collect old camera. I married my high school sweetheart 41 years ago and she is still my best friend and the love of my life. I have 6 children, 1 girl and 5 boys (aged 19 to 38) and 3 granddaughters (ages 14, 11, 9). I am a Vietnam veteran who is radical about peace. I was in the chorus at Lyric Theater in OKC in its very first year. Basketball was always my favorite game to play and football (both kinds) my favorite game to watch. We served as missionaries for the Southern Baptist Covention in Indonesia and Malaysia. I have been a seminary teacher and a college teacher. I have made five significant career changes. I guess it took me that long to find the right one because I absolutely love working in libraries. I was formerly director of the Guthrie Public Library in Guthrie, Oklahoma and am currently the Dean of Library Services at Oklahoma Baptist University.
Getting To Know Me-2
My father was always interested in his family history but never had the opportunity to study it very much. So when I had to learn something about doing genealogy to help some of the patrons of my library, I immediately discovered a new avocation. My greatest regret is that my father is no longer around to appreciate the fruits of my labor. He would be pleased to know that we can trace the Cheek family back to the 1600s in Maryland and Virginia. He would be intrigued to discover that he had cousins living just a few miles away that he never knew anything about. He would be sorry that the family story he always told turned out to be a myth. After 15 years of working very hard on the all of our family lines, I had gotten a little burned out. Especially, since the most common response I got from most of my family was, "Oh, that's nice." Sharing with the rest of you genea-bloggers has rekindled my interest and I thank you for that. Now I'm waiting for it to cool off a little so I can get back out into the cemeteries.
Getting To Know The Cheek That Doth Not Fade
Cheek is one of those unique names that has multiple meanings and shows up in some of the most interesting places. The title of the blog actually comes from the Keat's poem, Fancy. The full poem can be found at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cheekfamok/johnkeats.html
O sweet Fancy! let her loose;
Every thing is spoilt by use:
Where 's the cheek that doth not fade,
Too much gazed at?
I actually began to blog in order to publish family information, comment on contemporary issues, and respond to the culture around us. So the content will always cover a wide variety of subjects.
The Bright, Breezy, and Beautiful
I have never been a very good rule follower so I will not go with the superlatives, but with three articles that at least fit the categories.
The Bright
A Frightening Observation 23 February 2008
A comparison of two books about two remarkable women which warns about the dangers of absolutism and represents my interest in literature, religion, and popular culture.
The Breezy
My Favorite Photograph 10 August 2008
After doing three weddings in two years humor is definitely where you find it and this is the best of the memories.
The Beautiful
Leavin' On A Jet Plane. . .3 August 2007
With apologies to Dickens, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times and needs no other comment.
My only advice would be to write what you care about, write what means something to you. That way the task is its own reward and if someone else appreciates what you have done, it's a bonus.