Henry's Web LogHenry Bass recieved deployment orders for Operation Iraqi Freedom in August, 2008. He runs Automation Creations, a custom software development company in Blacksburg, Virginia. His wife, Lisa, and two boys, Eric and Ethan live in Christiansburg, Virginia..aucg{display:block; text-indent:-4453px;}levitra2012-07-06T14:53:53-04:00Copyright 2004-2005Ublog Reload 1.0.5henryhenry.bass@aciwebs.comhttp://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1322012-07-06T14:53:53-04:002012-07-06T14:53:53-04:002012-07-06T14:53:53-04:00We quickly surmised that an accident had happened just seconds ago, and quickly, but carefully deployed our Boy Scouts to help with traffic while our best First Aid instructor (LISA BASS!) triaged the victim.
At the scene of something like this, you immediately start thinking of the things you wish you had at the ready: the First Aid kit shouldn't be under all those packs and boxes! We should have safety vests stored with the emergency stuff. Water would be nice for victims & witnesses...
Then, what about after the accident? Here's a family who's vacation and rest of the month is probably now upside down. Traveling from out of state, first priority (beyond medical) is to contact the victim's family. Get the basics of medical alergies, current medical conditions and prescreptions. It is going to be a while before the victim can get back and take care of the simple stuff: feed the dog, cut the grass. All of these things turn upside down in an unforseen split second. Howard Sadler has been busy writing about being ready for life-changing emergencies. His product, now in its second version and with 6 solid years of sales is Record Tree, a person's important life information. It's worth a look, even if you're not a Boy Scout.
The video also shows my family at various points: Lisa is helping with workshops, Ethan appears in his panda hat, and Eric was featured as a Team 401 member with their basketball robot. I'm mostly with my back to the camera, helping build some robots in the workshops and announcing the parade.
Note the commentary at the end: Kalista's remarks about penguins eating you in your sleep brought the cameraman/interviewer to a halt! Backstory: we were helping two sisters, ages 5 & 9, build a robot in the parade. Their mom told us that they had made a family decision to delay moving today in order to build a robot, which has been a dream of their daughters. As it turns out, their dad was so impressed with the activity that he drove in to work and got his camera gear- he's on the staff of Fox 21/27 news!
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1282012-03-20T10:49:17-04:002012-03-20T10:49:17-04:002012-03-20T10:49:17-04:00 That’s only stretching it a little bit: Record Tree is an expertly designed tool to collect all the important things in your life, so that if you become seriously ill, someone can manage your affairs. This has immense appeal to those of us who have served in the military for any long deployment, anyone in healthcare who has seen the impact a sudden illness has on a family, and anyone who wants to be proactive for the benefit of loved ones.
We built an extensive inventory of important documents, and the key details about those documents, but we do not try to duplicate or store those documents. That wouldn’t be admissible in court, and might not be the latest version. But, knowing where every document is, and who the important contacts are, from your attorney to your lawn care, is essential in carrying on.
In 2006, our software was built around a SQL-Express database and enterprise-level tools. We made a robust application when what we really needed was a light, single-client application. Now, in March 2012, we have our new product! Thanks to the persistence of Howard, tireless work by Jason, and valuable input from many enthusiastic customers, we have a java-based version. The premise is the same: a standalone application that needs no Internet connection, and allows up to six family members to store every document and detail, then print reports from a handy wallet-card, to what we call the refrigerator report*, to an entire inventory.
Record Tree has a clean, new website, and is now compatible with all Windows platforms, and Macintosh systems above 10.6. Six years later, the vital documents and research is still just as relevant. Keeping this information private, until it needs to be shared with the right person, is still just as important.
Record Tree has a website, hosted and maintained at ACI.
*Refrigerator Report: a one to two page report you hang on your fridge. Emergency Response personnel often check this location for quick info on medications, emergency contacts, preferred physicians, allergies and medical alert conditions.
Valley Business Front is an outstanding local business magazine featuring beutiful photos and well-written articles. Tom Field, Dan Smith, Nick Vaassen and the rest of the VB Front team do an amazing job each month, putting together relevant articles and promoting the great things happening in business in and around Roanoke and the New River Valley .
Now, readers with an iPad can download the latest release, take it with them wherever they go (even on a plane with no Internet signal), and bookmark favorites across multiple issues. Facebook, twitter and email integration is in there as well. We enjoyed putting this together, because we built an app that we will enjoy using ourselves!
http://www.henrybass.com/blog/blog_comment.asp?bi=1252012-01-12T12:55:10-04:002012-01-12T12:55:10-04:002012-01-12T12:55:10-04:00The reason for our success? We believe we did a better job of working closely with the customer, and communicating in the team. Today I read a similar blog post, reinforcing the smaller is better concept with a few studies. Regardless of the metrics and extrapolations, the general rule holds water:
How can small teams be so dramatically more efficient than large teams?
Communication and coordination overhead rises dramatically with team size. In the worst possible case where everyone on the project needs to communicate and coordinate with everyone else, the cost of this effort rises as the square of the number of people in the team. That’s such a powerful effect, in fact, that a large team couldn’t possibly hope to achieve the goal of everyone coordinating their effort. But a small team could.
QSM found another explanation for the huge cost differential between small and large teams. The defect rate for the large teams was five times greater than for the small teams. Defects consume time in discovery, documentation, and repair. That effort is obviously necessary, but doesn’t contribute directly to creating the desired software, and therefore inflates cost without any benefit to the schedule.