It occurs to me that the European banking system is collapsing under the weight of unrealized sovereign debt loss,

and that we know as much. European banks are avoiding write-downs on the sovereign debt they hold, in order to avoid having to recapitalize at a difficult time. The U.S. recognizes the risk in having the market handle the capital write-downs for those banks, having just narrowly avoided a very similar problem in 2008, and has opened a dollar lending window which is helping to keep the European banks’ collective balloon inflated. Now the ECB is stepping away from those same banks in an effort to encourage sovereign responsibility, which may be delivered, but which seems very unlikely to be delivered in a coordinated way, absent some serious policy rewrites in the EU. The risk of shock is high.

At the same time, there are people in the streets. I know because I read the Drudge report. There are people protesting austerity. There are people who feel a connection to the Israel/Palestine issue. There’s the entire Arab Spring to consider. I mean – think about it – there are a lot of people experiencing a deep enough level of personal unrest that they’re walking around somewhere in the night instead of reading this from their couches.

What happens when the capital run really starts in Europe…later this week or early next I’m guessing, because I don’t think the market gives anyone six weeks’ notice…and then people have fear to contend with on top of anger and uncertainty? Nothing good, I think.

If I were more diligent or educated, or conscientious, I would carefully document everything I’ve asserted in this post. As I am not, and as I very probably read all of the same things anyone who would actually consume this whole post does (and then wonder about sources), none of this is probably news to you.

If it is, or if I’m totally wrong on some point or another, please feel free to correct me. My only request is that you be kind, as I am simple and my feelings are easily bruised.

I will happily retract anything and everything, because I have no dog in the fight. I just wanted to pose the question. If it matters, I’ll even try to find the sources for my assertions.

Thanks,

Alex

next day additional – Interesting FT article covering much of European situation.  Changed title for clarity.  Doubt it worked

Creative Commons

Have you heard of the Creative Commons licensing scheme?  It seems quite useful.

Basically, it’s an accepted intellectual property sharing framework that helps content creators (me) to easily describe exactly which permissions they give to consumers (you) of their works and sets clear expectations in terms of attribution (if any be desired).

That was a mouthful, and I’m sorry, but there’s not much I can do about it now.

Introduction to Project Management for IT Operational People

Update May 5 2011

I decided to republish this document under a Creative Commons agreement.  To make a long story short, I can’t edit the original document anymore because it’s gone.  However, I am uploading a new Creative Common agreement which supersedes the original copyright markings on this presentation.  Therefore, feel free to disregard the copyright © symbols in this presentation because it’s now a CC document .  That means you can feel free to share this work with attribution and for non-commercial purposes.

Creative Commons Rebranding

Original post of February 2011 starts here…

Hello,

I thought the half-dozen of you who read this might like to see the slides for a talk I gave recently to a local chapter of the Help Desk Institute (HDI).

It’s a primer for IT Operational People who want or need to deal with IT Project Management.

I asked eight friends, in a wide variety of positions and with very different perspectives, what they would tell a young gun getting started in project management.

These are their answers.

Hope you like it.

A

v3 HDI Speech

Pandora One Upgrade Review

$36.00

Yes.  It was worth it.

Mostly because I feel better not wondering.  But, also, because it’s kind of cool to be on the inside.

Got a new Macintosh i3

Because I know someone will ask,

The 21.5 Inch Model.

3.06 Ghz Intel Core i3 (yes, the dual core – the cheap one).

8GB 1333 Mhz DDR3 (yes, the max – from Apple, ’cause it was easier).

Basically, it’s got the the standard Mac software load – I added Office 2011 Business, Omnigraffle Pro 5.2.3, OmniFocus, Skype, Chrome and some other tools.

Short answer:  I love it.

It’s the bomb.  I would recommend it to my best friend.

So long.

Been gone.

I understand the challenge that presents to the few readers I occasionally have.

The problem is one of self-consciousness.  And a lack of time.  And entropy.  No, not inertia.  Well, yes, that too.  But I really meant entropy.

Which law is that?  The third, of thermodynamics? Four children.

No, they’re not on fire.  They represent the encroachment, upon my particularly ordered life, of the chaos to which we all must return.

No, not in the nihilist sense.  In the buddhist one.  They require my presence, my attention, my focus.

They are also amazingly destructive.

I could try to control that tendency, but I think it would be tantamount to breaking them.

No, not like fine china.  Yes, like a fine stallion.  Or, mare, if you prefer.

We’re equal-opportunity encouragists, around here.

Too post, or not.

Well.

OK.

Tx

A

If You Care Enough to Complain…

“If you care enough to complain…then you care enough to do it yourself.”

Last night, in conversation with a friend, both of us happily married, I offered my personal take on intramarital boundaries.

My friend then suggested that I write a book on marriage.  Ah, well, what blogger hasn’t thought of writing a book?  Certainly not this one.

Hubble Wallpaper

This is just for fun.  I’m sure you know that Hubble Telescope pictures make cool computer wallpaper.

This is one of the sites I use to pick wallpapers, when it’s time to mix things up a little on the desktop.

Here’s my current desktop…

Source: Hubblesite.org

Have fun!

“DePo Masthead” Review for WordPress.com

If you’re reading this post, you’re doing so through a “DePo Masthead by Derek Powazek.”

DePo Masthead is the template style choice I have made for this blog.

Mr. Derek Powazek does all of us a favor by both designing this look and feel for free, and then by making it available to anyone who wants it, again at no cost.  That’s pretty cool.

Cathartic Blogging

Catharsis – ((psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions)

I started blogging because I thought I had something to say.

It’s not that I expected to be particularly well received.  It’s more that I like to think, and then to talk about what I think.  Unfortunately, I’m not really fast enough on my feet to keep up with a witty conversationalist.

I was always the kid in school who thought about what could (should) have been said at a key moment, but at home, in the shower, or gettting ready for bed.  And then it was gone forever, the opportunity to be witty.  Oh well.