Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips Kids today can find any fact in the world in a minute, but they don’t. Is it that they don’t appreciate this gift or is it that old folks are putting yet another impossible-to-achieve standard on them? We live in a world where any fact in the world is available in one […]

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by Dwayne Phillips How we describe the impossible helps us answer the second question. And the second question is about or imperfections. Question: Can we land persons on the moon and have them live there for a year before January 1st, 2015? Think about the answer a moment.  Time is up. One answer: That is […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I often heard “it is obvious to the casual observer” in grad school. I even read it a few times. Guess what? That is not a true statement. I used to hear that in grad school, “It is obvious to the casual observer.” That was sort of a joke when we were […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Give yourself permission to not be involved with an argument, especially an argument between another person and yourself. I have often seen people argue. The vast majority of the time, I told myself: I won’t become involved in that argument. In essense, I give myself permission to stay out of a discussion […]

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by Dwayne Phillipe My wife and I have been married for 30 years, and we still fold clothes differently. My wife and I have been married for 30 years; we still fold clothes differently. I suppose there is some lesson or twelve in there somewhere. We love each other, but neither of us will change […]

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by Dwayne Phillips This Apple ad is deep in several aspects. Here is a precedent for this blog: a video inserted and on top of that it is an advertisement. To the reader, first watch the video, then read my comments. Apple Family Christmas Ad (1) There is the lost teenager in a big family […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A phrase I often heard from my superiors, what “no surprises” really means. I don’t know how many times I heard it uttered in angst, “No surprises, no surprises, no surprises.” That is what my superiors constantly told me and my colleagues. This was one of those things that everyone acted like […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Take care when choosing an example for teaching. Often what seem to be great examples are terrible in that people concentrate on the unintended. I have taken a lot of courses related to project management. I have taught a few. I have read a lot of books on project management, and, as […]

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by Dwayne Phillips All magazines are thinner than they used to be – not so. Somehow, the IEEE keeps its magazines thick. I have been an IEEE Computer Society member for 30 years (yes, I am that old). Computer is the lead publication of that group. The monthly magazine is still 136 pages long. That […]

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by Dwayne Phillips In addition to the planner’s basics, talk directly to the right people in a frank manner. Years ago, I worked with a company VP who had success on the vast majority of his projects. His “secret” was: Plan your work (in detail) Work your plan (track progress in detail) Okay, big deal. […]

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