Second trip to India... this time flew KLM through Amsterdam. Still takes a very long time to get to Pune, but I think that route (Houston - Amsterdam - Delhi - Spend the night - Pune) is much better (KLM planes were much nicer than Continental).

As I sit eating my late breakfast Sunday morning I was visited by a large mosquito having its own breakfast on my hand (or is that my hand was its breakfast?). Glad I am taking my anti-malaria pills... ugh (the pills effectiveness is more peace of mind than practical). And to think, I actually considered playing golf today

http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,5157/type,1/

Released today.

Just got my new office today. This is my second move in a year, and finally I have a window facing where I live (20 miles away). At least I can look down the interstate and see for myself if traffic is bad instead of just using the traffic website.

Huh? Well, found out today that that means "I will take care of that". Never head that expression before, but I did today. Yesterday I asked someone to do something for me, and that was the response. I was like "huh?", I don't understand. Well, after being "educated" I now know better. Well, back at you...

All your base are belong to us!

What I hold in my hand today, is a fresh copy of CCS 9.0 (actually, this is one box of four that are part of the release). After years of enterprise development, I never actually got a official box of software. Most of the software I built, or was part of were enterprise application built to provide services to clients, not to be bought off the shelf. I think back to the early 90's and reading my first review in a software magazine about software that I built in a team of three and how excited I was at the time. Those were the days, writing UI code in APL is nothing like WPF today (we are so spoiled nowadays). Sometimes not having to write a slider control with a box-line and mouse move events take all the fun out of it. Hummm... I better stop thinking about the "good-old-days".

If I am correct with the numbers, almost 200 people were involved building and testing this release and almost two years from conception to RTM. Of course, you won't find this sitting at Best Buy on the shelf next to Norton Antivirus, but you get the point.

I rushed home to tell my wife of my excitement, and I got a look of "great another thing to overflow our shelf that you don't actually use or read". Oh well, I think deep down she knows how cool it is... well at least that is what I tell myself.

After a demanding schedule, the system has finally gone gold today! I didn't notice the fanfare too much, I have been working ahead with the rest of the architecture team on the next version...

Check out the release at:

 http://www.symantec.com/business/control-compliance-suite

<jest/>

A few months ago, I was given a project car. You know, one of those kit type cars that you build. The cars I am used to today have EFI fuel ejection, ABS brakes, etc… top of the line stuff, but this was different. This kit came with a duel barrel carburetor, no power steering, drum brakes, old technology. That’s ok, I know this stuff like the back of my hand and it is easy to work on (what I learned in high school auto shop).

The car has gone some phases and its first full iteration where I can actual drive it on the street (not quite safe though). Now it runs, I decide it is time to go get some rims. Well, I drive past “Consulting Hot-Wheels” and head over to “Pep Boys” to go look and see what they have. So, I go to the first sales person hanging over at the tire rack…

Me - “Hey, I want to look at some rims”

Tire guy – “Hold on, I want to bring in some new guys so they can learn and be part of the discussion”.

(two new Pep Boys guy from out of town show up. Both spark plug experts #1 and #2).

Me – “You guys ready”?

Tire guy + #1/#2 – “Yup. What do you need”?

Me – “I would like to have some rims, you have anything good”?

Tire guy – “Over here, we have all of this stuff. Pick what you want, I know about tires more than rims”.

Me = “something that fits my P-zero Pirellis”. “I like this over here… what does it cost”.

Tire guy – “I will have to get back to you” (waiting)…. “expensive, you want them”?

Me – “Yes, can I take it home today”?

Tire guy – “No, they are on backorder. However, you can get them today+90 days. You still want them”?

(meanwhile #2 is grabbed by a manager and is carted off to work on brake pads)

Me – “No, I need them now. What do you have instead”?

Tire guy – “Got some plastic hub caps with spinners. We stock those”.

Me- “Not what I want, but ok. I don’t have much time. Maybe when I build another car (let’s call it C2ar), I will do it right”.

#2 – “I’ll go get it. Which isle are they”?

Me – “Sigh…. Isle 7 next to the spark plugs”.

#2 – “Here you go”

Tire guy – “come back and see us again”!

(another Manager in background congratulates the tire guy for a job well done. Spark plug guy #2 is promoted to tire guy #2)

After flying for however many hours, we stopped in New Delhi for the weekend on my way to Pune, India (business trip). The group decided to do a day trip to the Taj Mahal. The 120 mile (each way) trip took 7 hours to get there and almost as many hours back. I think I saw almost everything in one day including [sadly] someone being struck by a car in front of us and died on the road. This wasn't refreshing pit stop at all to get used to the 12 hour time difference, but I was completely exhausted after the trip (you can see it in my face) . And yes, it was a once in a lifetime trip... I will never do that again.

I have joined the Control Complience Suite architecture team working on the next generation project called CCS 9.0. Looking forward to working there!