Google Buzz - Is The "Buzz" over?

Regardless of the answer, I'm using this blog post to see if I need to remove the blogger -> twitterfeed.com linkage...

I'm thinking that since Google Buzz already does a pretty quick posting of Google-owned linked sites (as opposed to linked sites like twitter (6 hours to post a tweet?!?!?!)), I don't need twitterfeed.com to post to twitter for me.

This concludes this test.

PS.  Google, fix your lag on posts from other sites, it'll make your Buzz entry more compelling in the social networking arena.

Read More

Now Using Custom Domains instead of FTP Publishing...

Blogger Buzz said (a long while back) that this was the real way to publish a blog, as your blog is then hosted by Google and can take full advantage of the distributed hosting that Google has available.

It's supposed to be a lot faster in publishing too...

Let's see!

Read More

Testing the TwitterFeed!

New post to test the Blogger.com <-> Twitterfeed.com linkage...

Read More

Business Cards

I received the Google Voice offer for free business cards via iPrint.com.

Here's what I received (image from iPrint.com website):

Not bad for free?

Thank you Google Voice and iPrint.com!

Read More

Resume

J. Byron Todd

945 Hood Drive West, Southside, Alabama 35907

phone 256.399.4510 • byrontodd@gmail.com

Operational Analyst & Computer Engineer

Computer engineer by degree, operational analyst by experience with over twenty years of working with, managing and supporting computer systems and users – on the user level as well as management at the company level. Specialties include operational forecasting with process and financial evaluation. Comptroller experience at corporate level.

Areas of Expertise:

• Cost Benefit Analysis
• Data Integrity / Disaster Recovery
• Network Management & Planning
• Operational Process Improvement
• Technical Specifications

Technical Proficiencies

Languages:		4GL-based languages, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, LotusScript, PHP, Shell scripting (batch file creation/programming),Visual Basic for Office
Networking:		Ethernet Topologies, Novell, LAN / WAN Administration, TCP/IP
Platforms:		Linux/Unix Servers (CENT OS, Debian, Ubuntu), Mac OS X, Windows 3.x/9x/NT/2000/XP/Vista, Windows NT/2000/2003 Server

Professional / Work Experience

RainGard of Alabama, Inc. • Rainbow City, Alabama • 1995 – Present

Vice President, Comptroller • 1999 – Present

General Manager • 1997 – 1999

Office Staff • 1996

Production Employee • 1995

Started in warehouse production, worked at every station, performed every outside job, from taking orders, pulling orders to delivery. Moved into office to help with computer management, order entry, accounts payable. Progressed to general manager until I was fully responsible for all accounting procedures and financial analysis. Evaluated and implemented cost-cutting strategies as well as analyzed production expansion.

Todd Computer Solutions • Rainbow City, Alabama • 1995 – 2006

Owner, Computer Consultant

Worked primarily as the IT department for small companies in the Northeast Alabama area who could not afford to have an in-house department. Included all areas of IT budgeting, planning, implementation, and management. Further duties included operational financial analysis – from telecommunications setups to manufacturing processes.

Software Professionals, Inc. • Portland, Oregon • 1993 – 1995

Technical Support

Worked telephone technical support for the “Peachtree of the West” company. Responsible for custom document production (altering the Peachtree program to create custom invoices, packing slips, and reports for customers). Became “the” expert on PDQ – a 4GL-type report programming add-on for Peachtree.

Auburn University School of Pharmacy • Auburn, Alabama • 1992

Assistant

Worked with Auburn University professors in designing, creating and managing multimedia based training products for Auburn University pharmacology students.

IBM • Atlanta, Georgia • 1989 – 1991

Technical Support

Co-operative education job placement by Auburn University. Worked on the IBM MultiMedia Technical Support Hotline. It was the highest rated helpline in customer satisfaction at IBM during my tenure. Support multimedia based training to K-12 customers, and IBM internal support worldwide.

References

Removed for privacy concerns!

Read More

Sometimes I Wonder...

I'm just now getting around to responding to a letter I received in June of this year. That letter came from an insurance / investment group in Fort Payne, Alabama, and was hand addressed with my father-in-law's name. Inside the envelope was a business card, a company flier, a response card, and a personally signed letter with the following initial information:

RE: "STOP PAYING LIFE INSURANCE PREMIUMS FOREVER"

Recently I received your reply card requesting information on the above topic. Enclosed please find the information as promised to you.

My letter of response:

To the "person" in charge:

You sent this material for <Father-in-law's name> to my address earlier this year. You stated (LIED) that you "had received your reply card..."

<Father-in-law's name> died in November 2005. His name is only associated with my address because of that death.

I suggest you find a better mass mailing database. The one you used for this mailing only confirms one of two things:

You're cheap.

or

You're stupid.

Your choice.

Sincerely,

Byron Todd

I mailed the original contents and my response back to the "person". I was seriously tempted to use the word moron or idiot instead of "person".

Read More

Bad Dining Experience

I sent the following letter today. I've edited out some of the personal information in what is displayed below. Just writing up that letter brought up bad memories, and I, for one, am glad to put this behind me. Though I still won't visit the local Chick-fil-A's.

Byron Todd

Chick-fil-A
1008 South 4th Street
Gadsden, AL 35901


To Whom It May Concern:

I'm writing to tell you about a horrible experience thrust upon my family and me a while back. <name removed>, I believe, was the person solely responsible for this incident. It may not be remembered by her, but it will be remembered my family and me for a while. As far as I know, our patronage to the local Chick-fil-A restaurants has ceased and will not continue for the foreseeable future.

The date was September 25 of this year. I remember it well because it was my son's fourth birthday, and he wanted to eat at Chick-Fil-A. We had a party planned in Birmingham for the following Saturday, so the only people to come to this dinner, the only people invited to this dinner were my parents and my wife's mother. Let me reiterate that: a dinner with one child, one baby, and five adults. No other guests, no other invitees. We showed up at Chick-fil-A for that dinner, and were pleasantly surprised to see that it was "Family Night". We - and I'm speaking authoritatively for everyone invited - had no idea that Chick-fil-A had anything planned for that night. Nor did we have any plans to disrupt anything or anyone else.

However, my son had been carrying around a few balloons with him that day (which he had taken with him to pre-school), and <name removed> assumed the worse. I can only guess that she believed that we had a large party with lots of children on the way because the way we were treated - accosted or assaulted is a more appropriate word - showed that she assumed the worst. I believe she made the bad assumption and compounded it by not wanting and not caring to listen to anything my wife or I had to say. A simple question or questions would have cleared up the matter. Her confrontation with my wife and me showed that she did not want us there. When I told her that I could tell someone who knew Truett Cathy about this incident, she said "Fine, tell him!" and stormed off. I was wrong about that person's relationship with Truett Cathy, but not about their closeness to the Cathy family. My cousin is <name removed> and she said that the whole incident sounded too surreal and out of character for <name removed>. I don't know nor do I really care at this point.

What everyone in my family - including family which did not attend - got from that incident is that she absolutely hated our presence and our possible patronage at that time, that she did not want us there. Although we did eat a very bitter meal there, I can state that she will be rewarded with that wish - neither my wife or I will visit the local Chick-fil-A's. As far as I know, neither my parents nor my mother-in-law are planning to come by there again as well. If we wish to have Chick-fil-A, we will simply visit another one in another city.

Sincerely,



Byron Todd

PS. I should mention that the assistant manager witnessed the whole incident - including the storming off of <name removed> - and I believe he realized that <name removed> had made a mistake. He went out of his way to smooth over the incident and tried to make us as welcome as possible. He brought ice cream by the table later for my son, he tried to give ice cream to the adults at our table, and he gave a coupon for future ice cream. However, <name removed> was more memorable. We don't need this coupon as it says it is valid at "Chick-fil-A of Gadsden".

In my 37 years of life - including the 20 some-odd years that my memory serves - I can't remember another single restaurant which did not want someone to celebrate a birthday there. Not a solitary one. It seems to me that every other restaurant - from McDonald's to Ruth's Chris - go out of their way to make birthday celebrations fun and memorable. But good memorable...

Read More