"A Christmas Story" was just on television yesterday for 24 straight hours. I have seen this movie in entirety countless times and watched snippets more times than I'd like to admit. Yesterday, as I waited to go to my in-laws, I caught a scene in which Ralphie and his friends are bullied by Scut Farkus.

Scut Farkus! What a rotten name! There he stood, between us and the alley. Scut Farkus staring out at us with his yellow eyes. He had yellow eyes! So, help me, God! Yellow eyes!

Ralphie's friend, Flick, gets trapped by Scut and his bully friends. They grab Flick and make him scream uncle. The scene made me think about the times in life when you just have to "say uncle."

Being stubborn, proud, and often self-important (none of my best traits) makes me prone to never saying uncle. Not in the sense of being a push over, rather I mean knowing when it is better to be liked than to be right.

The lure of "told you so" is so tempting to me that I rarely like to let the moment pass. Also, when I'm thinking logically its hard to empathize with someone when they are being emotional or just want to rant, bitch, or vent.

I'm writing this post because learning to say uncle is something I need to remind myself of the importance of regularly. My initial reaction is to speak my mind, voice my opinion, give my two cents, and put someone back into place; but as I list these reactions out it is apparent to me how unflattering these reactions can be in lasting, meaningful relationships - love, family, work.

I don't like making New Year's resolutions, because by mold in which resolutions are cast seems to be faulty. Regardless, in 2009 I'm going to work on saying uncle, giving in, and turning the other cheek.

The FCK Editor adds a <p>&#160;</p> by default which causes some unexpected spacing in your HTML. 

The place I am most frustrated with this issue is in Dynamic Forms. No knock on DataSprings modules. It isn't their issue, but the spacing issues are most noticable in these modules because the header and footer from each field in the form has a p-tag surrounding each field. If you have margin or padding on your paragraph tags, then the fields go crazy.

I have two solutions to the issue.

Short-term resolution for Dynamic Forms. I've already experienced the issue and I just want to clean it up.

Update {objectQualifier}DynamicForms_Question Set QuestionHeader = '', QuestionFooter = ''

Intermediate resolution is to modify the config of the FCK editor

In the file Providers\HtmlEditorProviders\Fck\Custom\fckconfig.js

Change FCKConfig.FillEmptyBlocks = true; TO  ;FCKConfig.FillEmptyBlock; = false;

I would lable myself a bit of a Microsoft Office nerd. I really like finding news ways to overcomplicate the way I use Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Today, I found a post by the product managers for Outlook on how to incorporate a visual indication of when you'll be out of office in your auto out of office response.

This blog is often a rant, sometimes a reflection, and occasionally a way for me to remember cool things so I can search my own blog rather than redoing the searches I've done in the past.

I'm going to outline the process for including a mini calendar in out of office messages because I find myself overcomplicating the message I use each time I got out of the office. Should it be "returning on Monday, December 29th" or "I'll be out until the Friday, December 26th and assume they know I'll be back on Monday"

So here's what I'm going to do when I go out of the office for my trip to Cancun over New Years.

1. Act as though I'm sending my calendar in an email by right clicking on my calendar title and selecting "Send via Email..."
   
2. Select the date range for which I'll be out of the office. This way the dates will be highlighted in the HTML calendar created.
   
3. Copy the calendar created in the body of the email
4. Past this calendar into my out of office message

Well maybe not like me. I'm thinking mutt, more in terms of diversity in backgrounds. My parents went to the same high school and raised me in a neighboring city.

I am interested in the attention the seemingly unimportant comment Barrack Obama made when talking about the kind of dog his family was going to get.

“There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic, but on the other hand our preference is to get a shelter dog, but obviously, a lot of the shelter dogs are mutts like me,”

I love this comment for a couple of reasons. First, it is a lighthearted comment that belies an overarching social tension regarding race that ran throughout the elections. Without going into this in great detail. I felt there was a lot of race tension in the past election. But not the tension of two sides pulling apart. More like the static electricity in the air. It was electric, apparent, but not tangible and not easy to point out why it was felt.

The second side of this comment is the strength that comes with a mutt. As dogs go, mutts are more resilient, heartier, and less prone to genetic flaws. In politics, Obama was dubbed "Teflon." Did his diverse upbringing, both in race and experience, cultivate the Telfon shell?

Is the age of the pedigree dead? Does coming from a long line of Kennedys or Delanos really mean that much in our society? Does it really even help? Sure as a safety net being a Kennedy out weighs the bad, but look at the case of Caroline Kennedy. The pedigree of being a Kennedy opens doors, but the stigma of nepotism is going to close it right back in her face. She may assume a Senate seat on name recognition and family ties, but her merit will always be shroud in presumed entitlement. The first article I found in search results echos this perception

When it comes down to it, I guess I wouldn't pass on a Kennedy upbringing, but the original intent of my entry was more to celebrate diversity than to discuss political lineage. Going back to my discussion on the lowest common denominator, comfort in the known and familiar real is only comfortable. Reaching out, embracing diversity is really the path to becoming exceptional.

 Both my parents came from large families in today's terms. My mom is one of nine and my dad was one of five. I guess they are typical baby boomers.

I flipped by an episode of "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" and they were talking about the sheer quantity of diapers they went through on a daily basis with six babies. This got me thinking about how families of this size might deserve things like paper cups and disposable grocery bags and individually packaged snacks.

But in large, families of this size are the exception. Gone are the days of massive Catholic families. The items that drive convenience have passed, but the nasty dependencies we developed has stayed and perpetuated.

I think we often confuse convenience with progress. And there are things in our lives that are more convenient and do demonstrate progress. But things like plastic grocery bags are not an improvement over cloth, reusable bags. Using a paper cup for your daily coffee is not progress. These things are regression. 

I'd encourage you to give some of the things in your day a second thought and ask yourself, what is the cost of this convenience? Do I need to drive to the store the moment I'm out of batteries for my television remote or can I save this trip for a time I have more to my list? Do I need to drive separately from my spouse just in case one of us gets bored? 

Don't you just hate it when you see something in the news, in a blog, or on TV that makes you go, "Hey, that's my idea!"?

To take it a step further, there are books I've read or blog I follow which make me nod my head in agreement the entire time I'm reading their work. At the end of the book or article I find myself saying, "Damn, I've been thinking the same thing for a while, but why couldn't I articulate that thought like she did."

Today, Seth wrote an article about the difference between having ideas and selling ideas. This same idea is the thing I would call "getting traction." It happens in big ways and in small ways on a daily basis. "Who wants to go to Panera for lunch?" "We really need an easier way to handle support tickets." It seems the same people who can get traction for the small things (deciding where to go for lunch), also gain traction for the bigger changes in life and work.

My friend, Alan, seems to consistently amaze me with the way he is able to be the opinion leader in any group with which he's affiliated. To those defensive or jealous, it can seem like he's good at politicking. playing the game, or manipulating.

Some of these may factor in to his success at gaining traction, but the real sources of his traction, and anyone's traction, are:

• Understanding your own vision
• Being convinced of your vision
• Realizing the benefits to others
• Empathizes the concerns of those affected by your ideas
• Doing the work

The last item is the most important and it is the most challenging part because each of the bullet points above "takes work." The mental work of doing your due diligence and thinking through your ideas takes work. 

I find myself losing sight of these traction builders. "I sent an email... I put together a presentation... I told him about my idea." These things don't take work, they are tasks, but aren't the actual heavy lifting to giving your ideas traction.

What makes a good project management tool? A project management tool should have the ability to:

1. Plan the work
2. Track the work
3. Complete the work
4. Report on the work

The issue with most of the tools I've used in the past has been that when the tool isn't easy, it isn't used. The tool needs to support both the methodology of the project as well as support the team members on the project. If the tool interferes with  progress, the tool becomes a burden rather than a tool. If you have to carry around a sledge hammer to pound nails into a board, you're going to avoid pounding nails. 

Here are some of the details for my idea of the holy grail of project management tools.

1. Manager can assign work to team members.
2. Team members can create their own work lists or to-do lists to accomplish a task.
3. Team members tie their time back to tasks.
4. Team members can track both billable and non-billable work without creating non-billable buckets for time.
5. Estimate work for each task and define timelines and budgets
6. Report on time by task, totaled by project, totaled by customer, totaled by team member
7. Report progress on a project by reviewing completed tasks over a time period (the past week, or the past month).

I'm in the process of reviewing a number of "Web 2.0" applications. I'll use this blog post to document my thoughts on each.

ClockingIT: http://www.clockingit.com/

• Cost: free (For now)
• Hosted or Installed (under the MIT/X Consortium License)
• Allows for Clients>Projects>Milestones>Tasks>To-dos
  • I like this level of hierarchy
• Can track time directly to a task - both with a stopwatch and retrospectively in blocks of time
  • Time tracked to tasks which are tied to projects
• Does not allow you to mark time as non-billable
• Allows you to report
  • Timesheets - by client, project and/or user
• Export task lists, and time logs to CSV
• Lots of custom reports, custom views, custom dashboards

BaseCamp: http://www.basecamphq.com/index

• Cost: $149/mo to get time tracking and unlimited projects/users/clients
• Hosted
• Allows for Clients>Projects>Milstones>To-dos
  • To do lists make up tasks for a project
• The organization of projects by Client looks cleaner than ClockingIT
• Time Tracking can be tied to to-do items or jsut as a log
  • I don't like that the time is separate from the work defined in planning a project
• Report on time by project or by user over timelines. Can you report by client?
• Can export time to CSV
• More based on projects - overview, messages, to-dos, milestones, time are all contained in a single project. This is good because it prevents the lure of "multi-tasking"

ActiveCollab: http://www.activecollab.com/features/

• Cost: $399 perpetual
• Installed - PHP, MySQL
• Time tracking - billable and non-billable and tied to a project
• Each project consists of checklists which are made of tasks.
• Time can be logged to a task in a check list
• Time can be marked as billed if you're using the tool with invoicing
• Heavily AJAXy and in Chrome some of the buttons don't line up - this adds to the overall feel which I just don't like as much as the other systems

Tick: http://www.tickspot.com/

• Cost: $79/month
• Hosted
• Primarily a time tracking function
• Allows you to set budgets in time or $$ (with $$ tied to users' hourly rate)
• Integrates with Basecamp to accomplish more project management functions

Freckle: http://letsfreckle.com/

• Cost: $98/month - 25 users
• Hosted
• The tour is a little limited, but it looks primarily geared toward logging time to a project.
• Can easily capture unbillable time by adding an * to each entry
• Strightforward and simple UI - How long, for whom, doing what...
• Con configure budgets for projects

Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management 2007

• Reviewing the Project Web Access
• The demo I signed up for was too bug-ridden to evaluate the software. I think this is definately the sledge hammer of Project Management tools
• One thing I did love about this is the project manager can define and schedule status report that are collected by the Project Web Access

After my grandfather passed away, my dad and I each took a few of my grandpa's suits and had them tailored for ourselves. I have three suits of his. Each has a very subtle essence of the era in which he bought them (probably 1970s or 1980s). This essence might give it away as an outdated suit, but for me that same essence distinctly reminds me of my grandpa. And the suit is a perfect symbol for what my grandpa represented in my life - intellect, honor, pride and Clubman Aftershave.

On October 29th, Lauren's grandpa, Bill Ginger, passed away. Yesterday, I went to Lauren's grandfather's memorial mass. I went to the memorial dressed in my grandfather's suit. Each time I put on my grandfather's suit, I feel cloaked in the great men I have, or have had, in my life.

I'm sure I'll reflect on this more later, but I'm intrigued by the changing definition of masculinity or manliness. The chauvinist definitions in which I think we (men) feel compelled to live up to (wearing the pants in the family, being a the bread winner) are changing. The lines between what is male and what is female are blurred. We can either cling to those things which are the simple (again the LCD commentary) or we can gravitate toward those characteristics I am appreciating more and more from the men I have had to priviledge to have in my life - humility, honor, intellect, reason, and selflessness.

I had my grandpa's suit tailor to fit, but hopefully someday I will fill his suit in more ways than just fit.

I don't know if I have this thought fully shaped yet, but I've been noticing recently how easy it is to fall into the trap of what I can best describe as "the lowest common denominator."

I'm noticing how prevalent the lowest common denominator (LCD) is on a daily basis - gossip, cliché, the easy joke (most of the time at someone else expense), stereotypes. It is those things that we can all amiably agree on, the things in our day that don't rock the boat. For the most part, I'd say the lowest common denominator is safe and harmless, but it feels like a pretty obvious symptom for something dangerous.

What it points to is how easy it is to make choices through the day toward the comfortable, the familiar, and the easy way out. I have to believe that more frequently than I'd like to admit the other side of what's easy is the thing that is really going to make a difference in my day.

Incrementally choosing the way toward critical thinking, toward disruptive decisions, toward the unfamiliar might be the answer for avoiding a life of mediocrity.

A great example of LCD was obvious during the political campaigns this year . Its remarkable how susceptible we are to the rhetoric of politicians. I can't count the number of times I'd hear voters regurgitate word-for-word the LCD of a campaign as their reason for voting one way or the other. McCain supporters would often rationalize their vote by saying, "I'm suspect of Obama's relationships with terrorists" or on the other side Obama supporters citing their reasons as "I'm voting for change." I think politicians need to stay on message, but hopefully their reasons for running back these LCDs with firm beliefs on the issues and vision for the country. When voters site their reasons as solely the campaign message, I believe those are their true reasons and nothing else. They have clung to a slogan and felt comfortable with their decision. Citing actual issues, prioritzing the issues that matter for them would be outside the margin.

The scariest thing about the lowest common denominator to me is how prevalent it is in my day. As I sit in front of the television watching a sit-com aimlessly, 1) I'm taking the easy route by plopping my ass on the couch; 2) I'm subjected to countless commercials, which exploit our draw toward common ground (bandwagon effect).

I think that's enough for this half-baked idea. I know the lowest common demonimator lurkes in our days. The challenge is identifying it when it presents itself and not succumbing to its draw.

On my flight back from Twin Falls, ID a few weeks ago I sat next to a man who was despondent when he had to turn off his cell phone. He was so upset by this temporary detachment from his phone that he actually turned it back on after the drink cart came by and proceeded to make a call.

My initial thought was, "this must be serious." I then proceeded to eves drop. It didn't take long to recognize the trivality of his call.

This got me to thinking about cell phone use on aircrafts. Before I get into it, let's put all the cards on the table (as I see it).

• Common courtesy
• Breaks the law (FCC prohibits the use of cell phones since 1991)
• Potential interference with aircraft instrumentation (fitting with FCC rules)
• $$ - something must be inhibiting cell phone, wifi... to be used on planes without restriction

I'm going to ignore the courtesy issue. Even if legal and feasible, I don't think courtesy would ever legislate or dictate whether people will use their phone on a plane (see text messaging while in a one-to-one conversation).

So in researching the law and the actual legitimacy of the law, here's what I found:

The interference fear is originally based on a concept called frequency re-use. In short, the idea is that the frequencies used by cell phones on land is contained by the terrestrial boundries (buildings, trees, mountains...) and the signal disapates as it reaches these boundries. As a result, the same frequency can be used by multiple phones without cross-interference. Calls from phones in the air wouldn't have these limitations and therefore a call could cause interference or noise.

This makes me wonder if the interference concern is more from the standpoint of the mobile phone companies or the airlines. Hmmm.

The FCC rules based in 1991 have been reviewed by a committee called Special Committee 202 (SC-202). In late 2004 the FCC recommended relaxing or lifting the ban. From what I can tell, the ban has not been lifted because the FAA has the final say. It looks like if cell phones are ever allowed it would be through the use of PICO cells. PICO cells would seemingly eliminate the risk of frequency re-use because each aircraft would have their own hub (this would also seem to conveniently give the ability to make the use of cellphone a value add for the airlines [$$]).

Originally, I was going to name my blog "Leaking Memory" because I have a notoriously spotty memory for details. Blog posts like this are going to be an attempt to retain some of my leaky memories after I research something curious.

I've finally caved in. The creap of technology  into my life has been gradually winning out for years, but there were specific things I feel I was winning over. I successfully resisted "the next best thing" for a while  - blackberries, iPhones, twittering, blogs, bluetooth headsets, Second Life, MySpace.

I try to keep things simple and it's too easy to be overloaded by information on a daily basis. Why would I want to keep up a blog, when I already find myself beseiged with facebook status updates, LinkedIn profile changes, other people's blogs, personal email, work email, text messages, news tickers? All of these seem to makes things more complicated. 

When my colleagues (primarily Chris and Dang) realized my name was available as a domain name, they pleaded for me to snatch it up. I caved then, but instead of using it as a personal site, I defiantly used it as the home of my summer softball team, the Random Hookups.

The softball season has ended, my infatuation with technology has mounted, and eventually I caved completely and converted my site to a personal blog. For some reason I feel ashamed.

I was in limbo. Attracted to shiny new gadgets, intrigued by new technology, magnetically lured by Facebook, but at the same time, I cursed these things. It feels to me that the moral fiber of society was being torn apart.  Will the love letters my grandpa sent my grandma while they were dating be replaced by an archive of gmail messages for grandchildren to snicker at once I've passed? 

Anyways to make a long story longer, patrickrenner.com will now serve as my personal blog. As this post suggests, my blog will focus primarily on being a mental vomit of my thoughts. Some posts may be rants, some may be enlightening, some will be a way for me to document my thoughts and ideas. All of my posts will be 100% me. I'll try not to filter myself too much by the threat of others' skepticism (more on this thought from Dustin Staiger)

 I was driving up to Des Moines to play golf in the FARRT (First Annual Renner Road Trip) via Kansas CIty. I stayed the night with Elizabeth and Phil on Friday night and made my way up to Des Moines on Saturday morning.

On Friday night, Elizabeth, Phil, and I went out to a new entertainment block in downtown KC for a night of drinks and bowling. As we cruised by the block searching for a parking spot we spotted an opening directly in front of the bar. At the next intersection, I pulled a U-turn and made my way back to the spot. I passed up the spot, put my blinker on, and put the car in reverse. As I turn to look back, some red-neck hick in a beat-up Oldsmobile, coming from the other direction pulls a U-Turn in the middle of the street and scoots the nose of his car into the spot. He has the nose of his car in the spot but is blocking the rest of the street.

I look back and give him the "what gives" shoulder shug, Phil, in the back seat, gives him a buzz off hand wave and the guy retorts with shining a flashlight in our faces. I don't know if he was trying to blind us or trying to assess who he was messing with. Turns out, he was messing with the RIGHT guys. I sat in the stale-mate for about 30 seconds longer, fuming mad and trying to decide whether or not I wanted to make a scene, and then put the car in drive and drove forward to the $2 parking lot around the corner.

Phil, Elizabeth, and I continued to determine the right course of retaliation for the next 30 minutes until we forgot about it and later in the night decided the course of action we took was the "high road" also known as the "preppy-white guys and pregnant lady not doing anything about it road."

I like to express my mission statement as a series of tag lines I hope to achieve on a daily basis. By striving for these small goals each day, I hope they incrementally amass to something successful and something in which I can take pride.

Do my best every day; have fun; make money for myself, and my co-workers; learn something every day; overcommunicate; exceed expectations; think critically; be fair; be honest; be smart and get smarter; take pride in my work.

 I found this interesting article that really mirrors a lot of my feelings and confirms that I got doobed.