Darkness

With all that's going on in the world, deja vu is all over the place:

• The Russians/Soviets are the enemy, again.
• The word "Stagflation" is being used, again. 
• Gasoline prices are through the roof, again.
• Interest rates getting to double digits, again.
• Huge political turmoil, again.
• Abortion rights in the news, again.
• The President of the United States is international befuddlement, again.
• The US is in a proxy war, halfway across the world, again.

Back to the 70s - 

Then-President Jimmy Carter got on national television, all three channels, and told citizens of the greatest nation in history to "turn down" thermostats to conserve energy.  Gas prices crept up to 86 cents after a decade of below 40 cents per gallon.  

The national speed limit went from 75 to 55MPH for the dual purpose to conserve fuel and saving lives.  Studies reveal the latter did not occur.

Euthanasia, Karen Quinlan, Save the Whales, abortion, and No Nukes were the social issues of the day.

Japan was taking business away from the Big Three automakers, and Detroit was in an economic tailspin.  "Stagflation" ruled and everyone was afraid of the Soviet Union.  

Hostages in Iran, Marines died in the desert in a failed rescue attempt.

Are we in a Billy Joel video?  No.  No, we are not.

But we, a Nation, have been here before and we will be here again and again.  It was bad back then in the 70s.  It was bad in the 60s.  Some say it's bad right now.

It is nothing new and we'll get through this, like your parents and your parents, parents did.

And exactly how your kids will, too.

Do you like Sax?  Of course, you do...

Office Snacks: Zooming Away

I've been saying this for years.  

The beer on tap in the break room, blue jean Fridays, Taco Tuesdays, donuts after 5 PM, foosball, espresso machines, company BBQ, and EXTRAVAGANT, high-budget Christmas parties are all velvet handcuffs.

Don't get me wrong - I HAPPILY ENJOYED every cup of fresh brewed, every single company-sponsored, 12 Martini lunch, each trip, shot, and a slab of meat provided.

I did and I would again.

But I understood the assignment - and the game - and appreciated it in the manner it is offered.  

• The Cinco De Mayo lunch is a payoff.  
• The breakfast just before a technology show is a payoff.
• The client appreciation dinner is a payoff.
• Tickets to the Bucks game?  Not just a playoff. You guessed it, payoff.

New and Improved Managed Print Services Model, "Z22"

Managed Print Services has been around for decades and as a concept offers the opportunity to expand beyond the printed document.  It always has been.

Things change, they always do, and this is true for managed print services.  I was involved with developing an MpS model back in 2007 and again later, twice, with the MPSA.

There is no wrong model - there's just a more 'right' model.  Mine.  Which is now yours.

The typical, status quo MPS model stands on three basic phases, "Control", "Optimize" and "Enhance" and is progressed sequentially, with a Beginning and a Terminus.

I never liked it as a step-by-step process.  Managed print Services is an ongoing system - what today we call a "flywheel".  

So when looking at the above illustration, you'll notice there are no arrows.  Sure, the hexagons sport numerals, and yes, you must start with Hex"00" and bounce through the remaining areas, but the process can move from 02 to 01 to 03; non-sequential.

Here is your new and improved MpS Renaissance Model, Z22: