J. Rhoads Research / formerly MobyApp

So I applied, hope I make the cut!  My mother is my inspiration to better myself and help others at the same time. Back in November mom was sick, and we had discussed the subject of a doctorate and how to help organizations succeed. She said it was a great idea and she will live to see me graduate!  So when she passed in December, it took the wind out of my sails. I started to doubt myself and put off applying to GW GSEHD Executive Leadership Program.  Mom reached out to me (from the great beyond) and motivated me to apply --so I did.  I thought I would share an excerpt of my Statement of Purpose that was used in my application.  Mom and Me at Christmas (1988) __________________________________________________________________________________ In the 1980’s and 1990’s, my mother was a COBOL software developer. Growing up I would visit her office, and there I learned how to use Microsoft DOS and logon to bulletin board systems (BBS). From that moment, I was hooked ...

As you know I love my stickers, you can see I left some of my Amazon/AWS stickers on my personal MacBook –as they are a large Microsoft customer and re-seller! When you think about it, the cloud that is – why is the cloud called the cloud? Well back in the day the network/telecom engineers used a “Cloud” to portray the internet in their engineering diagrams. Fast forward a few years and we have X as a Service (IaaS, PasS, SaaS, etc.aaS) . We are using the internet for what it was always meant to be –a network of networks. Then I read this article in the NY Post about how the term Multi-Cloud is banned from AWS’ reinvent conference –and I ask "um why"? Competition drives innovation right? When I was at CNCF’s Kubecon last year –I got to see the demo god himself – @KelseyHightower rock the house with a demo on Google Cloud and AWS .   As Kelsey says it best “These (cloud tech) are just tools, focus on the big problem, the most important tool is sitting in the...

What is Customer Obsession? Why do I care about it? Why should you care about it?  When I worked for Amazon Web Services, we had these awesome leadership principles . The first one was Customer Obsession. As per the Amazon definition: " Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.  "  I work in the information tech world and I see that many in the industry have forgotten (or simply don't care) about the customer. It is very troubling as the customer is why we are here and why we do what we do. If people do not trust a vendor or its products --they have choices, they will leave.  I hear so many times of a fear of vendor lock in and I say who cares --I mean our cars are not opensource home built machines,  we drive Fords, BMWs, Teslas, and etc. With the exception of gas and tires --we are pretty much locked in!  So,...

Happy Halloween  Well it has been a long nine years! I am sure you are asking where have I been? Did some work with EMC, some solo-gig contracting, then spent four very busy years at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a Solutions Architect, Tech Trainer, and authored a book. AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Official Study Guide  "May the SysOps be with you" (my light saber profile pic is from the book) I know it is two years old, just my claiming some fame --I provided content for all chapters and wrote Chapter 10 all by myself (pay attention to the screenshots throughout the book), did the cover and interfaced with some awesome folks at AWS and Wiley. Last year I left for Microsoft and doing the same role as a Cloud Solution Architect on Azure and a little training as well.

This just in from CNN (CNN) – “Nokia, the world's largest-volume cell phone maker, and software giant Microsoft are joining forces”. The Symbian OS from Nokia has shown versatility, but it hasn't aged well. The system is criticized for being clunky and especially awkward in an increasingly touchscreen-focused environment. As part of a new agreement, Nokia will adopt the Windows Phone OS as its choice smartphone platform, and Bing will become the default search engine on all of Nokia's phones. Nokia will provide services such as mapping programs and other software to help flesh out Microsoft's offerings, as well as leverage the handset giant's relationships with cellular carriers. Looks like Microsoft has given up on taking on Google Search on the desktop and moving after Mobile search. I think moble computing is going to heat up over the next few years --not like its hot enough!!!

Hello All, Been a while since I posted --I am still alive. Soon MobyApp . Mobi will have a very important announcement . Jerry

The Google-developed Android mobile operating system is an alternative to the Apple iPhone, Blackberry and Palm. Even though the Android operating system is relatively new to the market, the popularity of Android phones such as the Evo 4G, Droid Incredible and Motorola Droid suggests that these multitasking feature-rich smartphones are coming in line with what we want our mobile devices to be. Here's a roundup of some of the best Android smartphones on the market today. Motorola Droid For those who must have a physical keyboard, the Motorola Droid is definitely a phone to consider. Despite the fact that the phone has a slide out keyboard, the phone is still relatively thin; actually it is only marginally thicker than the iPhone 3G. The 5 megapixel camera and dual LED flash also allow the phone to take surprisingly good photos – considering that this is actually a phone. While you have to save apps to the phone's internal memory (512MB ROM and 256MB RAM), a memory card will stor...

What happened to customer service, more importantly good customer service? This morning on the way into work I had a conversation about Verizon’s customer service. My friend was very upset with how they have been handling her over the years. She was a loyal Blackberry user and she really used the heck out of those BBs . The problem was that batteries didn ’t hold a charge. Very odd for a BB –I wish my iPhone held a charge like a BB. So my friend called Verizon to replace the phone and they gave her the run around. She asks for a manager and is told by the customer service representative that a manager will call her back. The manager never does. My friend calls back and the vicious circle was afoot. Wow! Once upon a time, I worked for United Airlines and my job was working in huge call center. Whenever we had customers ask for a manager, we had someone to hand them off to. They were known a TSRs or technical service reps –they made a $1 more an hour! Hence you never speak to a real man...

Here is a great analysis by Google employee Tim Bray on the the scope of the Smartphone Game ( via Daring Fireball ). "The Numbers Are Really Big. Insane, I mean. The billion-plus phones sold per year. The number of active subscriptions, which is greater than half of the human population. The number of new Android devices that check in with Google every day. The line-ups outside Apple stores for every new iOS device. The hundreds of thousands of apps. The ridiculous number of new ones that flow into Android Market every day. Everywhere I look, I see something astounding. This is the big league; bigger today than the computer industry ever was, and growing fast. This is as fierce a concentration of R&D heat and manufacturing virtuosity and distribution wizardry and marketing mojo as humanity has ever seen."

I have been reading Tribal Leadership on the iPad, and it is an awesome book. It describes so many things I have seen in my 18 year career. You do not need to be fired to have experienced the blog post below. It is a good read because so many companies treat their employees badly. I recommend checking out this book at the Tribal Leadership website. Reposted from http://www.triballeadership.net/blog Worst Five Ways to Fire Someone If you have never been fired, then you either work at a Stage Two company where under-achieving is rewarded, or you’ve chosen not to be completely honest when your boss says, “Do you have any feedback for me?” Odds are that at some point you: • “Did not see eye-to-eye with management.” • “Chose to go freelance” • “Wanted to spend more time with family” • “Were unware the sexual harassment laws had changed.” But if you’re lucky, you’re the person on the other end of this conversation. And for you, we would like to offer the top five worst ways to let people go,...

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."-- Albert Einstein

Today I am in the cloud. Literally, I am emailing via my jerryemis@me.com email account, rocking out to Pandora Radio, and creating a tech visio-like drawing via Gliffy.com . If my iPad did flash or Gliffy did HTML5, I wouldn't need a computer. If I was using Cisco's CIUS tablet device, based on the Android OS, I would be able to do my Gliffy drawing. My thoughts on Mobile computing are two fold: 1. We are just beginning to realize the benefits of mobile devices (phones & tablets) 2. The cloud will be the back end to these new Mobile computing devices I think we are where the PC (actually the Apple) was in 1983. In 1983 PC's were for games and small office use. IBM (the only big computer company) didn't see them as a threat their fleet of "Big Iron" (Mainframes and Mini-Computers). It is 2010, the PC's and their Intel Servers run the [office] world. Click here to check out (a very young) Steve Jobs Keynote address circa 1983! What will 2015 look like? ...

Hey all, Changed the title, look, and feel of our Blog. This blog started out as a project for a graduate class and has now morphed into this. Just wanted to drop a quick note as I have been out on vacation. I've been looking at some venture capital blogs out the net. Here are two that caught my fancy: http://voices.allthingsd.com/20100317/the-case-for-the-fat-startup/ http://www.kellblog.com/2010/04/07/the-fit-or-fat-startup/ Lean or Fat? I say we gotta eat! (read the links and you will get my last statement) Jerry

In my reading of What Would Google Do ( WWGD ), Marissa Mayer VP at Google is mentioned many times over. So I did some research on Marissa. Marissa Mayer is the Vice President of Search Product and User Experience at the search engine company Google . She rocks and here is why: Mayer received her B.S. in Symbolic Systems , graduating with honors , and M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University . She specializes in artificial intelligence (AI). In 2009, the Illinois Institute of Technology granted Mayer an honoris causa doctorate degree honoring her work in the field of search. Mayer was the first female engineer hired at Google and one of their first 20 employees, joining the company in early 1999. Prior to joining Google, Mayer worked at the UBS research lab ( Ubilab ) in Zurich , Switzerland, and at SRI International in Menlo Park , California. Fortune magazine lists her as one of the 50 most powerful women in the world and the youngest woman ever to make the list!!...

I have been reading a book titled What Would Google Do (WWGD ) by Jeff Jarvis and I just finished Beyond the Cloud by Marc Benioff (CEO and Founder of SalesForce.com ). The two books have changed my outlook on life, yes life. Our work/jobs are a major part of our lives. We spend more time at work than with our families. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? What if we had a job that paid for what we did versus how many hours you sit at a desk? What if you could spend more time with your family versus time at work or on the blackberry? No I am not preaching AMWAY –however they could be come a potential customer of mine –scratch that---ours! Why do I say ours? Well, in the spirit of WWJD –I asked What Would Google Do? Google would inspire collaboration as to what the company should produce, how many hours the work week would be, who they should hire, what soft drinks or juices to stock in the kitchens, the mission of the company, the structure, and etc. We are talking about total coll...

The new iPhone 4 has about 100 new features that aren't available in the current model. Some of the biggest changes include a higher-resolution screen, a bigger battery, a front facing camera, an HD photo (5 megapixels) and video camera, a gyroscope for improved rotation sensitivity and a thinner, more industrial look. Apple unveiled the new phone's operating system in April, which on Monday, Apple redubbed "iOS 4." The new OS will be available to iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4 users this summer. It will allow multitasking, use of folders, access to Apple's iBooks app and the new "iAd" mobile advertising network, though not all of the functions will be available on the old iPhones I must have it!

I've been thinking about my new company and I have lots of ideas. Many center around what do I want to develop, who do I want to hire, how big can MobyApp.Mobi become, how to apply the Salesforce.com's 1-1-1 principal to MobyApp.mobi, serving smoothies in break rooms, employee stock options, IPO, and others. Wow, my brain is on overtime and my advise to myself is What Would Google Do (WWGD)? They would Do No Evil. I want to touch people's lives. People will want to work for...scratch that...work with MobyApp.mobi. We will be 1 transparent team, 1 transparent mission, 1 voice, 1 family devoted to making our lives and our world a happier place. Do you know we spend more hours with co-workers than family? What if you didn't like your work, your co-workers, the company's mission --whatever--fill in the blank. We are going to change that: MobyApp.mobi will be a place that centers on the employee, their family, and their morals. We will work together and be happy doing i...

The iPhone 4.0 is coming and I am sooo ready for it. The new OS supports multi-tasking, front facing camera, better battery and more. Problem is that AT&T changed their rates for new iPhone/ PDA users. AT&T no longer offers unlimited data plans . So the big question is: When I upgrade to the new iPhone 4.0, Will I be treated as a new iPhone/ PDA user? Will my contract grandfather over? If I need to get a new contract, I may have to go to Verizon for the Droid or an Android OS phone. 200MB or 2GB is not enough, and I only dev on my MAC --meaning I really don't use a PC or MAC anymore. All my Internet usage is via the iphone ! I do sync from time to time, as I don't want to lose my songs and apps. All my songs and apps are downloaded via 3G, not from my MAC. If I am in the car and I Shazam a song --I download it right then and there. I really love my iPhone and I am developing Apps for the iPhone. The apps I am building require Internet access and there aren'...

I just incorporated MobyApp . Mobi in Nevada! Well ok , I started the process with BlumbergExcelsior , should be a corporation within a week --wish me luck! Let me tell you it has been an exciting two weeks, hence I have been radio silent on the blog. My biz partner Lin and I have been defining goals and working aggressively to meet them (i.e. a business plan). So far we are on track. Next on the list is trademarking our logo --I will post it once it is official. Our company MobiApp . mobi will develop applications for the iPhone and iPad . Sounds exciting? Do you want a job? We are looking for Objective C and Cocoa developers. On another note I picked up a book titled "Beyond the Cloud". It is written by CEO and Founder of Salesforce .com, Marc Benioff (my new hero and unofficial mentor). The book is about how Marc dreamed up the concept to deliver a Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) system delivered via the Internet cloud. His company, Salesforce .com, is empowere...