7 Trillion Dollars of US Federal Obligations, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving !

Family, Technology Innovation, GMAT, Financial Review typify my recent months.
A Bloomberg article was a remarkable summation of commitments US Financial Leadership has made in 2008. This is a year for the history books. OMG.

Dara Torres, 21 or 41

GroundSwell Defined

"A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations." GroundSwell,Li&Bernoff,p9.

Year of 2000
a. eBay - consumers purchase goods without a store
b. Craigslist - find a job, consumer goods, tickets without ads
c. Linux -free operating system acquired without purchase
d. Rotten Tomatoes - movie reviews from peers, without ads

Year of 2008
a. Facebook - realtime connect with others using rich-media
b. Wiki - realtime document collaboration
c. Twitter - realtime, cell-text-messaging
d. Digg - realtime book mark your interests
e. Blog - realtime comment on what interest you
f. Linkedin - realtime manage professional relationships
g. Youtube - realtime, on demand video of new events, education, entertainment

***Individuals now engage in a vast community, very quickly, with richly expressive tools.

INOVA Fairfax Hospital Volunteer

Having attended the INOVA Entry-Level Volunteer Training last Saturday I thought a few comments were appropriate.

a. The training session was an excellent introduction to Hospital Service etiquette & protocol
b. Many high school age students were present, some of whom were using this activity as a college application entry.
c. Fairfax INOVA is the most ethnically diverse hospital in U.S.

Inova Fairfax Hospital is a 833-bed regional medical center serving the Washington, D.C., metro area. Inova Fairfax Hospital includes Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center for treating the most critically injured patients , the nation’s sixth-busiest obstetrics program, a Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and is the region’s only hospital to offer the full spectrum of organ transplantation, including heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas and bone marrow. Its Emergency Department is able to accommodate more than 80,000 patients per year.

The Inova Heart and Vascular Institute is the region’s only heart institute. It houses the most advanced technology and facilities dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

Inova Fairfax Hospital is a teaching facility, partnering with the medical schools of Georgetown and George Washington universities and the Medical College of Virginia; the nursing schools of George Mason and Marymount universities and Northern Virginia Community College; and the pharmacy schools of Shenandoah, Howard, and Campbell universities and the Medical College of Virginia. Additional residents rotate from the University of Virginia, Howard University and various other residency programs associated with the National Capital Consortium.

Finance 2008 - Summer Reading

Summer Necessities:
1. old friends
2. new friends
3. family
4. good music
5. beer
6. sun block factor 80
7. Worthwhile Summer Reading !!!!

Below authors are leaders in the financial industry, their thoughts discern the crisis of the day, and explain the unique market events of this era.

Microtrends: Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes, Mark Penn, Sept 2007
Bull in China: Investing Properly in the Worlds Greatest Market, Jim Rogers, Dec 2007
Super Crunchers: Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart,Ian Ayres, Aug 2007
New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crash of 2008, George Soros, May 2008
Fooling Some of the People all of the Time, David Einhorn, May 2008
The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life, Alice Schroeder,Dec 2008

Exit 245

JMU A Capella brought down the house at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage last week. A packed, overflow crowd was aghast at this heretofore unheard of innovative, melodic, and funny performance. This clip is not from last week, it's a sample of what these gentlemen can do.

Why Digg

Digging express's your values, and the communities. In real-time the community is voting on what news-reports are credible, perspective changing, as well as contributing to the news story itself.

# reply comments from a very hot digg (see below !!!)

People are worried that the United States isn't "keeping up" anymore. We no longer have the tallest building in the world, or the largest shopping mall.

Those are twentieth century status symbols and are no longer relevant.

Some of today's status symbols include super computers and space programs, both of which we have the best of.

"To put the performance of the machine in perspective, Thomas P. D’Agostino, the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said that if all six billion people on earth used hand calculators and performed calculations 24 hours a day and seven days a week, it would take them 46 years to do what the Roadrunner can in one day."

http://digg.com/tech_news/Call_Sarah_Connor_Military_Supercomputer_Sets_Record

GroundSwell

A dear+sweet High School friend "Facebooked" (i.e. friended) me recently, I noticed her "Event List" included a fun party at the "Cantina Marina" a D.C. waterfront establishment. This event was a fund raiser for "Hortons Kids" sponsored by District Charitable Trust, DCT. Now, my sweet friend works on Capital Hill as a lobbyist, the good kind I assure you. Capital Hill is not my social circle, nonetheless ... a friend's small act of "friending me" opened a whole new world for me.

This is a "GROUNDSWELL" affect, social networking media can enhance relationships and link you to social realms heretofore unknown to you. I was charmed at the DCT party to visit with Andy + Josh, gentlemen I know from "Frontline". I enjoyed an entertaining evening of social revere, became knowledgeable on "Hortons Kids" - a Reading Program for underprivileged children in Anocostia, and was encouraged by the spirit of volunteerism.

GroundSwell, 2008 Forrester Research Inc., Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff. Details how you are being affected by "Online Social Media" and how you can engage in a salubrious manner.

Tipping Point - Law of the Few

Today I called a "Connector,"(Jr. High School friend Rich) mentioned my need for a "Maven" (i.e. subject-area expert) then explained my purposes, "Salesman." This phone call was emblematic of the "Law of the Few" discussed in Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell, 2003.

Quite a few of my High School peers are pure "Salesmen" ... Bart, Kimball, and Earl are extraordinary "Salesmen" (i.e. their overwhelming charisma, magnetism, personality) enable them to authentically persuade others. All were gifted high school leaders in athletics and school government. They are "senders" of emotion.

I'm a Maven ... "a collector of information." I collect information and best practices professionally in the field of data management. Personally, I can detail how to buy fresh fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts in the DC area. I'm also a maven of swimming, and casual fitness such as hiking, running, walking, etc.

SO WHAT. Well, by identifying who you are in a social network, then identify the 3 "TIPPING POINT" archetype's, you can change culture, you can change the marketplace, you can affect change in your community and possibly a nation. The book "Tipping Point," 2003, Malcolm Gladwell explains in storying-telling animated detail how "Connectors" function as social network hubs, in similar manner as the 10 major internet destinations -connect- all other network nodeson Internet. In other words, if you are a subject area expert ... who can you assist if you are Not Known.

Anyways, my friend Rich above is a "Connector" he tracks High School friends and provides 2nd-Link social network access to key people (i.e. Mavens) as appropriate. Did I find the subject-area expert (i.e. Geospatial Analyst-Developer) that I'm looking for with Rich, no, nonetheless Rich is a dear friend and his different view point, broadens me and softens my "Maven" ardent striving for information collection. Rich knows people, he is rich in empathy, context, intuitive areas. I will need to engage another "Connector" for Geospatial Developers.

This "Law of the Few" is one of three social rules discussed by Mr. Gladwell. "The Stickiness Factor" and the "Power of Context" complete his paradigm for making sense of epidemics.

***Coded language is used here for privacy reason, only certain High School friends will cypher above personalities.

Thought Leaders WEB 2.0

I am a multi-generational person: i am in community with individuals and communities in different life stages: 70's, 60's, 50's, 40's, 30's, 20's, teens, toddlers.

Everyone 40+ says call me, let's talk. Everyone! The phone is the message medium.
My 30-20 year old colleages and friends send me messages using WEB 2.0 Media: FB, Linkedin, Blog, text-msg, chat, twitter. Everyone. In fact, if you are not represented on WEB 2.0 Media, you may never interact with a 30-20 year old in realtime, ever. no kidding. Observation: communication today is richly expressive, asynchronous, mobile, community-centric, many of these platforms are free, some are public forums. Soon my efficient DayTimer System will be replaced by an iPhone, or other device in order to synchronize my entire life, in mobile, WEB 2.0 form.

The Graduate "Marketing" Program at Georgetown requires students to BLOG, 1000 Blog Views are required per student. Lesson: learn how to productively express yourself on-line, in a public forum, retaining your dignity, and the discerning confidence of others.

Everyone is using WEB 2.0 media, or beginning to (i.e. except my parents... 70-60's). The Wisdom of Crowds. I'm going to Jump into this media, truly be Linkedin, this year is the Tipping Point, the Ground Swell for WEB 2.0 to shape our lives.

Online Expression is here to stay, here are "Thought Leaders" describing how WEB 2.0 affects industry and individuals:

Wisdom of Crowds, James Surorski, August 2005
Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell, Jan 2002
Linked, Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, May 2003
JumpPoint, Thomas Hayes, Feb 2008
GroundSwell,Charlene Li, Josh Bernof, April 2008

Aphorisms of the Month

"In Character, in Manners, in Style, in All Things, the supreme excellence is simplicity." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Silence is the Hardest argument to refute." Josh Billings

"Elegant, Scholarly, Charitable ... the markings of a lady & gentleman." UVa student FaceBook comment

"A profound exchange ... faith enhancing reason ... live your vocation joyfully" Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

"Keep pushing, keep pushing, I kept saying" Olie Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

"The empires of the future, will be the empires of the mind" Winston Churchill

LTG Jeffrey Sorensen, CIO U.S. Army

March 21 AFCEA NOVA Monthly Lunch Series, LTG Jeffrey Sorensen, CIO (G-6) U.S.Army
... this was my favorite Speaker to date at NOVA AFCEA. Yes I admire the vigor, enthusiasm, and sagacity of the "Lions in Winter" and this gentleman, in his prime of life is a model solder of excellence: LTG Jeffrey Sorensen. Military bearing, intellect, poise, humor, authenticity, idealism+rugged realism. His 20-March-2008 presentation "Supporting an Expeditionary Army at War" was mind-blowing (i.e. from an Oracle DBA's point of view). The vision for the next generation technology platform, its scope, speed, security for "Theater of Operations" real-time decision support is approaching STAR-TREK support levels. The slides are found on the NOVA AFCEA web site, nonetheless, you have to been there in person, see the video to grasp this soldiers leadership potential. no kidding. This is the one time a year, you bless God that your tax dollars are 1/2 worth something. AFCEA lunches can be useful, after the lunch wait in line to greet the speaker, share a candid exchange, learn how to respectfully present yourself to a high ranking military official. Only at AFCEA will a civilian have this opportunity. I joined rejoined AFCEA shortly thereafter.

http://www.afceanova.org

Business Development with NOVA AFCEA

Two months of business development at NOVA AFCEA has created below log of effort. Being new in community, it's important to politely learn the social protocols of behavior, the art of manners, respect, deference for other personalities, position of authority, etc. That being said, "Fortune favors the Bold [Virgil]" ... don't be a mouse, express yourself as appropriate. I offer the following observations:
1. Make yourself useful to the community immediately, being occupied with a task will relax you, connect you to others, assist in step-by-step building credibility and trustful recognition
2. Define what you want to accomplish in this community (i.e. your intentions)
3. Identify potential sage-mentor(s) to assist you.
4. Tactfully approach sage-mentor(s) with questions such as: "How am I to constructively accomplish my goals here at AFCEA NOVA"
5. Be accountable to your objectives, manage your strategy such that you are able to quantify how useful + effective your efforts are at accomplishing your goals.
6. Learn how to relax, enjoy community, enjoy others ... after all someday we shall all die and wonder for what glory did we live and spend our days.
7. Warmth, gentleness, erudition, humor ... will serve you well in community.
8. Be discerning, be confidential as discretion requires

Here is my log:

March 20 Young ACEANS Mentor Protege Night: "The Secret of My Success"

March 21 AFCEA NOVA Monthly Lunch Series, LTG Jeffrey Sorensen, CIO (G-6) U.S.Army

March 30 Congressman Jim Moran "8th Annual Federal Procurement Conference"

(3 events attended in March)

April 2 AFCEA NOVA Small Business Breakfast, "Making Sense of NetCents II Services"
Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Verbeck, Asst Comdr, Air Force Dist Wash.
Ronald A. Poussard, Dir. Office Small Business, Sec. Air Force
John S. DeLauche, Vice President of Operations, NETCENTS PMO
Kevin Plexico, Executive Vice President of Operations, INPUT

April 18 AFCEA NOVA Monthly Lunch Series, John Grimes, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration, and DoD CIO.

April 23, Fort Myer Small Business Fair, David T. Boddie Organizer

April 24, AFCEA NOVA Golf Tournament

April 29, Young AFCEAN "Recruit! bring a friend" Happy Hour, Rio Grande in Fairfax Corner 6pm-9pm. (26 people attended), organized by Chris McKee

(5 events attended in April)

well, as a local Pastor says ... "So what" (i.e. what is the point of all this effort). Below is list of tasks accomplished after two months of involvement with NOVA AFCEA. My goal was to learn how the community functions, seamlessly "fit in", find a place to serve, and grow towards my specific objectives.

1. 53+ business contacts/cards attained
2. One true Government Official, a peer in age, who needs my services in next 12-18 months
3. Created "Linkedin" Account, used my 800+ gmail list to form "69 worthwhile connections", within an 800,000+ network, reconnected with a few "Industry Icons" from my boyhood in the 90's, have 92 pending connections (i.e. potential connections). A "worthwhile connection" is a person with whom you have an authentic common purpose, a common mind regarding growing and serving in industry.
4. Re-purposed my FaceBook account with a mature professional look to maximize industry connectivity.
5. Updated CCR
6. Revised April 2008 DatabaseVisions,Inc. Capability Statement
7. Scheduled May 30, 11am PTAP Counseling Session with Mr. James Regan, to whom I owe an explanation as to where I have been the last 2 years!
8. Adhered to Mr. Charles R. Corjay advise to dress professionally: purchased JHaneBarnes blue-striped suit, Abboud grey-striped suit, Burberry blue-sport coat. Ties: red stripped, blue stripped, red-blue pattern, tan-blue stripped. In progress to buy a blue Abboud suit ... i take my time with clothing. This networking stress has worn down my body from a 42L to a 41L, haha, i'll need to exercise more so these clothes fit properly. Oh well, nothing wrong with salubrious endurance, and nice attire. Mr Corjay was not impressed by my "IT Server-Room" blue-blazer look at the YoungAFCEAN Mentor-Protege Night, and i was purposefully dressing down to fit in. ha
9. Scheduled a phone conversation with sage-mentor to review this "bus-dev-log"
10. Solidified "Contract Capture Strategy" in my mind, need to express this to mentor(s).
.... OK here are the Sage-Mentor remarks:
a. NOVA AFCEA Protocal: be honest, be respectful, be truthful
b. Listen closely, gather information
c. Grow your network, based on trust ... this creates "warm leads", preferable than "cold calls."
d. Create a defined level of trust and credibility.
e. Remember, AFCEA is also about creating Academic Scholarships for Math & Science, as well as serving Disabled Veterans.

Jim Moran DOD Procurement Conference

Yesterday, our sedulous, lion-hearted Congressman Jim Moran hosted his 8th Annual Federal Procurement Conference at the FDIC Seidman Center in Arlington. The conference provided clarity and mature insights into the Washington Area business climate, as well as how to engage a small business with the Department of Defense.

http://moran.house.gov/events.shtml

Many Government Agencies and local Prime Contractors welcomed small business owners in the auditorium, such as: IRS, DARPA, U.S. Airforce, NAVAIR, NAVFAC, Veterans Association, General Dynamics, CSC, Lockheed Martin, and others. The conversations were artful, yet direct and forthright regarding how to navigate the labyrinth of each organization. I found the adage "Know thyself" applicable: know who you truly are, have a valuable product-service, then go investigate who actually needs you to be successful.

Mr. James Regan, Director of Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Program served as Master of Ceremonies.

http://www.novaptac.org

PTAP Article describing efforts of Mr. James Regan:
http://www.fcw.com/print/12_27/news/95418-1.html

Hansbrough "...working hard is an acquired skill"

CHARLOTTE -- Tyler Hansbrough's final basket against Louisville is the only play you need to see if you missed North Carolina's Elite Eight win over Louisville. He pumped once and watched Earl Clark fly.Then Hansbrough settled and fired a jumper as he fell to the ground with David Padgett in pursuit. By the time his backside hit the ground, the ball was ripping the net.

That is a how a player of the year gets it done when a Final Four trip is on the line.

"The reason he made that shot is because he's made it hundreds of times already," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "It's like that television commercial when the young man shoots extra shots before every practice, every off day."

All night long, it was Hansbrough, who finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds in the Heels' 83-73 win, getting the best of a stable of Louisville thoroughbreds down low. And most importantly, when the Cardinals stormed back from a 12-point second-half deficit, it was Psycho T saving the Heels from a second consecutive Elite Eight collapse.

"(Georgetown) was in the back of, I'd say, a lot of our minds," Hansbrough said. "There was that point when they went on that run, and I think the difference this year is that we handled that run better and stayed poised."

When Louisville's Edgar Sosa trimmed the lead to four with 14:18 remaining, Hansbrough came to the rescue, slamming home Danny Green's missed shot. When Louisville tied the game at 59-59 -- the closest the closest the Cardinals were since leading 5-4 in the opening minutes -- Hansbrough put together back-to-back baskets to restore a four-point lead.

Padgett said he had never before faced an opponent who plays as hard as Hansbrough. And Hansbrough's undying intensity led Louisville coach Rick Pitino to bring up the names of stars like Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.

"Certainly, he doesn't have all of those skills of those superstars," Pitino said. "But, just like shooting, rebounding, playing defense and passing are skills, working hard is an acquired skill."

Hansbrough's poise at crunch time exemplifies how cool these Heels are under pressure. When the game was tied with 10:21 remaining, it was the first real challenge North Carolina had seen in the entire tournament.

AFCEA Lions In Winter

having missed-out on the Young AFCEAN "Mentor-Protege Night" in 2006, I was delighted to attend this year, esp. to find myself seated with the guest Key-Note Speaker, Vice Admiral (Retired) Jerry O. Tuttle, USN as well as Mr. Charles R. Corjay, Senior Vice President CACI. Learning of their optimism, vibrance, and vision for the future of United States technology platforms was inspiring, especially the comments that these (i.e. "later years") are the best years of their lives.

http://www.afceanova.org/young-afceans

what do you mean ... "oracletune"

"oracletune" is the moniker used on "experts-exchange" when I started "Emerald Street" ... an Oracle Partner Consulting Firm in San Diego, CA. After leaving the beautiful La Jolla, San Diego coastline lifestyle for Los Angeles we incorporated as DatabaseVisions,Inc. to serve larger clients with best-practices in Relational-Database Technology. At the moment I am at rest, stirring for action in Fairfax, VA, pursuing an MBA in hopes of further enlightenment and intellectual skills required to navigate a rapidly changing and ever fascinating world. Observing the shocking current-events of 2008 in government, technology, and economics - i truly thirst to engage in constructive dialog and community on these topics.

Ahh, excuse me, i've digressed. OracleTune: anywhere in the world, at any time, i am able to "performance-diagnose" any Oracle Application. With a sqlplus> command line, I can quantify and describe an Oracle-Systems behavior, then either change its nature from non-performant ... too performant, or make recommendations to this affect. This is who i am, "oracletune," originally oracletune@aol in 1997, oracletune@experts-exchange.com in 2001. Since returning home to Fairfax,Va in 2003 i've been using ericts.

google-ized

After many exciting years in expert-structured-system design ... I confess, I've now been GOOBLE-IZED, i mean Google-IZED. Having served faithfully in the Oracle Community, inspired by the luminaries of applied abstract-relational-algrebra, the world of structured data looks different to me today. Here in Mclean, we are testing google-apps, a Hosted, Web-Based Collaboration Stuite, offering: multi-user, concurrent access+usage of documents, spreadsheets, and calendars ... not to mention the full-text searchable, versioned "gmail" product. I'm smitten, stunned. Soon we shall location-enable every Oracle-Application in the world, and seamlessly integrate dynamic-google answer-sets to custom applications. Enabling living, transactional, structured, secure, and now -Google-IZED- Oracle database applications!