Disqus - Latest Comments for Marian Crkon

Re: Bloggers at OpenWorld

Marian Crkon — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:53:20 -0000

Being one of "straight-up consultant" bloggers (as Ann Z called us) I was pleased Oracle extended its invites to us "citizen journalists". I see it as Oracle's attempt to encourage a broader discussion about its products and services than a small circle of professional journalists and analyst could generate.

A waived fee is nice, paid travel expenses would be even nicer. Personally, I will still be in red for the week due to lost consulting revenues. I can't believe we are spending so much time on this issue.

A bigger question for me is what will attendees get from a mega conference like OOW in return for their investment of time and money? How efficient can 1,600 sessions in five days be to "Learn, Experience and Connect"?

Oracle speakers always emphasize that conferences are where Oracle "listens to their customers". It is hardly a two-way discussion. If blogs can provide a constructive feedback and a forum to express opinions to whatever is being presented then the Bloggers at OpenWorld "program" would be a win for everyone. How fair and independent the coverage is is up the blog readers to decide regardless whether Oracle paid for bloggers airfare or not...

Re: AppsLab Interviewed by The Feature

Marian Crkon — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:29:10 -0000

This is the best article I've seen on AppsLab yet :-) Keep up the good work!

Re: On Acquiring Innovation

Marian Crkon — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:12:28 -0000

Software acquisitions can be a tricky business and benefits may not always be obvious. The WSJ ran a nice piece on the subject a while ago:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119551706770298...

Some kind of consolidation was inevitable but only time will show how much customers and users benefit. Oracle is still mainly a technology company, not an application one. The acquisitions brought more focus on applications and users, which is now pretty apparent in R12 (which looks more like Peoplesoft) and overall customer service.

Re: So Very Tired

Marian Crkon — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:52:22 -0000

I think you worry too much.

Re: Had Good Search Lately?

Marian Crkon — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:37:14 -0000

Al Gore is saving the planet from overheating caused by greedy corporations. What is your excuse for a messy desk?

Re: LA Fitness now open, photos from inside

Marian Crkon — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:14:28 -0000

We also checked out the club last week. The facility and amenities were nice and new. High ceilings and good ventilation felt good, rubber covered weights were nice, pool with large windows overlooking the canal looked great, and the courts were nice, and the locker rooms were above the local standard in Ballard.

But we also found the size of the cardio/weight room overwhelming. And as mentioned above, we also found the sales staff a bit pushy. We felt like we were getting mixed messages about the services and their pricing.

We find OAC a better, more affordable alternative for a family. Plus LA Fitness had been a good influence on OAC; motivating them to upgrade some amenities of their own (please do the locker rooms and showers next!). We also like The Kids Korner program at OAC, which is well established, better managed and more thought through than childcare at LAF (you can’t just put kids and babies in front of a large screen TV!) . There are also more free classes and family swim options at OAC.

OAC is where we are staying for now.

Re: As expected, RapidRide to run on 15th Ave.

Marian Crkon — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:56:02 -0000

I hope this means street and sidewalk improvements along the 15th Avenue NW from Market to 85th Street...

Re: Ballard Corners Park is open!

Marian Crkon — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:06:04 -0000

Well done everyone who made this happen. It looks great!

Re: Kavu preparing for big move

Marian Crkon — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:10:02 -0000

"The big move" next door? That's funny!

Re: Attendance area boundary map released

Marian Crkon — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:17:12 -0000

These borders make sense to me. I am sure people in Olympic Manner, North Beach, Crown Hill and Blue Ridge feel more part of Ballard then Aurora North neighborhood but we can't all go to Ballard.

The bigger question is, why is one school perceived that much better (Ballard) that the other (Ingram). The school district should do a better job bringing the schools on the same par.

Also, I hope the school district will work out a plan with Metro to provide kids from Olympic Manner, North Beach, Crown Hill and Blue Ridge a direct bus connection to Ingram.