IT admins should also think green

They have the potential to reduce power consumption even further than laptops.

[ For more on purchasing green IT desktop hardware, please read "Are green IT premiums worth the cost?" For more on the green benefits of thin clients, please read "Thinking green? Think thin." ]

Now suppose after refreshing your users' desktop systems, you realize it's time to deploy tools for easier backup and system patching. Sounds like a potentially sound investment for the sake of security and business continuity. But what if you also pause to, yep, think green again. You might follow the example of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools: In addition to purchasing licenses for BigFix asset and patch-management software, the district paid a bit extra ($2 per license) for the BigFix PC power management component, which is designed to put machines into low-power idle states when they're not being used, thus cutting energy waste.



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Motivation seminar leaves one wondering, lighter in the wallet

I'm planning to write one of those self-help, motivational books one of these days. That is, if I can get up for it. I almost got around to it yesterday, but I got invited to a chili feed at the last moment.

If you are ever motivated enough to spend 50 cents on the local daily newspaper, you can see a huge ad in there for an all-day seminar coming in late August called “Get Motivated!"

I did a rough count and found that the sprawling full-page ad contains more than 18 exclamation points. By contrast, one of the biggest motivational books of them all – the King James version of the Bible – contains none. I'm not sure what that means, but thought I'd mention it.

The “Get Motivated!" seminar offers “Inspiration! “Career Skills!" and “Wealth-Building!" But before you can learn how to build wealth, you have to part with some of it first.



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The Big Dogz on Business: Many different factors can make job exciting

Motivation is personal. Following the management principle of customization, the effective manager customizes the motivation factors for each individual. For some people, the job itself is a motivating factor. This motivation factor is known as job enrichment.

What is job enrichment?

Job enrichment is the process of expanding the task that an individual performs at work. It includes structuring a job so that it is more stimulating through variety of actions, visibility of results to both the person and others, decision-making opportunities and feedback.

Does job enrichment really work?

Yes. In some situations, it works as well as any other motivation factor. In job-enrichment studies, the results are mixed. I believe a key factor in the results is how important job enrichment is to a particular individual.



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Comment: Re-thinking the Iranian threat —Robert Skidelsky

Would it be a great disaster if Iran had nuclear weapons? As a habitual contrarian, I pose the question because almost everyone seems to believe that it would, and that it must be prevented at all costs. But is that true?

John Bolton, the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, said in April that if the choice is [Iran] continuing [towards a nuclear bomb] or the use of force, I think you're at a Hitler marching into the Rhineland point. Bush, too, has compared Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Hitler.

But these so-called statesmen never consider what might have happened had Germany and Britain both had nuclear weapons in 1939. Would Hitler, wicked as he was, have gone to war had he faced an assured threat of total destruction? Have we forgotten all about the theory of deterrence?

Of course, the world would be safer if Iran did not have nuclear weapons, not because it is a rogue state, but because any spread of nuclear weapons is likely to make the world more dangerous.




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Staff motivation: Holding deeper conversations can help drive

After a year-long programme, Skandia has tracked and measured a 50% average increase in motivation in those teams where managers have focused specifically on building relationships with their people. For those who are always looking for proof that investment in the soft stuff makes any difference, this is pretty compelling data.

So what has Skandia been doing that has made such a difference? The answer is that it has been training managers to have very different sorts of conversations with their staff. The defining characteristic of such conversations is that managers don't start by focusing on the result that is required but rather on how the team member concerned can be switched on so that they take pride in their job and feel inspired about their work.

Of course, most managers know that successful business depends to a great extent on the motivation of their staff to perform, and what this approach supplies is a framework that helps them tap into people's engagement.



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Spritual As Criminal?

It need be told that apart from the 'magnum opus' of the founder of SS and HJS, Jayant Athavale which is called "Science of Spirituality' - which is book of 21 volumes - and other texts about 'Divine Kingdom', 'Arts for God Realisation' and 'Spiritual Experiences of Seekers' etc. a very important text in the training of the seekers is Texts on Defence where seekers of divine kingdom are also imparted training with air rifles ( Vol 3 H - Self Defence Training, Chapter 6, Page 108-109)
It would be opportune to discuss a portion from this text which trains the seeker in 'Firing' . In 7 a. it trains the seeker in standing stance (kada pavitra) [shooting in the standing posture] in section 7

b. it discusses Sitting Stance (baitha pavitra) [shooting in the sitting stance]. It also shows the photograph of Vinay Panvalkar wearing a hat showing the different positions.


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EDITORIAL: Upcountry basketball teams need motivation

BASKETBALL fans in Dar es Salaam and the rest of the country had every reason to feel proud of the regional team, popularly known as ’Dream Team’, as it won the East African Inter-cities tournament held at the National Indoor Stadium in the city at the end of last month.

The week-long tournament also involved teams from other East African cities including Arusha, Mbeya, Mwanza, Kampala and Mombasa, some of which featured both men and women squads.

The absence of top sides like Nairobi, who were the tournament’s defending champions, was not really felt as participants put up impressive performances that made the event worth attending.

Dar es Salaam truly need a pat on the back for their achievement in the tournament after suffering a series of heart breaks in past competitions.



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