Wolfgang's Weblog

Schlechte Schiedsrichter bei der WM: Fifa entschuldigt sich - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Sport

2011-07-04T22:49:00.000+02:00

Schlechte Schiedsrichter bei der WM: Fifa entschuldigt sich - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Sport:

"Wenn es so schwache Schiedsrichterleistungen gibt, sollte man überlegen, ob man nicht auch Männer Spiele bei der Frauen-WM leiten lässt'"

"Viele Schiedsrichterinnen können zwar Spiele pfeifen, so lange sich alle auf dem Platz liebhaben, aber wenn es auf die Knochen geht, sind sie völlig überfordert"

Kaffee kochen - daskochrezept.de

2011-06-27T15:31:00.000+02:00

Das hat uns beim letzten Urlaub auf Sardinien fast das Leben, zumindest aber den Urlaub gerettet:

"Kaffee kochen mit dem Espressokocher

Nicht nur in italienischen Haushalten wird der Kaffee in einem so genannten Espressokocher, auch Caffetiera genannt, auf dem Herd zubereitet. Mit diesem berühmten, silberglänzenden, achteckigen Klassiker wird ein Kaffeegenuss für 2–8 Personen zubereitet. In das Unterteil wird bis zum Sicherheitsventil kaltes Wasser eingefüllt. Der Filtereinsatz wird dann bis zum Rand mit gemahlenem Kaffee gefüllt und auf das Unterteil gesteckt. Der aufgeschraubte zweite Teil der Kanne füllt sich durch den aufsteigenden Dampf allmählich mit dem frisch gekochten Kaffee. Das mediterrane Flair lässt sich sehr günstig in unterschiedlichem Design erwerben. Von einem Espresso aus einer Pump- oder Kolbendruckmaschine unterscheidet er sich durch die fehlende Schaumkrone. Gesehen im italienischen Großhandel und kostet um die 9 bis 20 Euro."

In der Praxis sah das dann so aus:

From 2011-06-Sardinien

Videos Posted by Sérgio Briosa: May 11, 2011 6:02pm (3)

2011-05-21T10:28:00.001+02:00

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=226156587398908

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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

www.bundespraesident.de: Der Bundespräsident / Bundespräsident Christian Wulff beim XIX. Deutschen Bankentag

2011-03-31T22:23:00.000+02:00

www.bundespraesident.de: Der Bundespräsident / Bundespräsident Christian Wulff beim XIX. Deutschen Bankentag

In Deutschland wurden 400 Milliarden Euro staatliche Garantien für die Banken und weitere 80 Milliarden Euro Beteiligungen für notleidende Finanzinstitute bereitgestellt. Für die Euro-Länder wurde ein Rettungsschirm über insgesamt 750 Milliarden Euro aufgespannt, um unsere Währung - den Euro - vor den Folgen der Staatsschuldenkrisen in einigen Euro-Mitgliedstaaten zu schützen. Dazu kommen weitere 110 Milliarden Euro an Hilfen für Griechenland.
Dies hat die Politik in schwierigste Begründungszwänge gebracht: Einerseits werden Sportanlagen oder Bibliotheken aus Geldmangel geschlossen, andererseits wird über Hunderte Milliarden verhandelt. Das ist für sehr viele Bürger nur schwer nachzuvollziehen.

SAP BPM Update « BPMS Watch

2011-03-19T13:13:00.001+01:00

SAP BPM Update « BPMS Watch:

As usual - Bruce hits the nail on the top:

"Connecting the Suite to BPM is the key theme of v7.3. And it gets better. A new feature called Business Process Library (BPL) – this is post-7.3, but not that far off – can essentially introspect the core processes embedded in the Suite apps themselves and expose them as BPMN 2.0 processes! Simply documenting those embedded processes automatically is a huge benefit, but you can also use BPL to extend those processes. For example, you could insert a new subprocess in the middle of the standard flow that calls a user-defined NetWeaver BPM process. You could always do something like that with lots of programming, but this is much faster and less costly. I’m not sure SAP’s professional services guys are happy about this, but customers definitely will be."

The goal of the Business Process Library was exactly this to provide a holistic and consistent view of the entire business process regardless of the execution environment - be it the transactions executed within the applications that constitute processes elements or the extension of such application processes via NetWeaver BPM based on the model-to-execute paradigm where the BPMN diagram define the actual system behavior as executed by the BPM engine. The key point it that now the partners and customer of SAP have one way to view, explore and understand and rationalize the process from start to end.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop rallies troops in brutally honest 'burning platform' memo? (update: it's real!) -- Engadget

2011-02-10T21:49:00.000+01:00

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop rallies troops in brutally honest 'burning platform' memo? (update: it's real!) -- Engadget

The first iPhone shipped in 2007, and we still don't have a product that is close to their experience. Android came on the scene just over 2 years ago, and this week they took our leadership position in smartphone volumes. Unbelievable.

The Igloo is gone!

2011-01-08T17:44:00.001+01:00

Julian and his dad were so proud of the little igloo that we built in our backyard over the holidays:

After the temperature started to rise a couple of days ago, all of a sudden this was the remainder:

Today, it’s definitely gone:

Given the current double-digit °C temperatures in our neck of the woods this week, it’s not likely we see more snow any time soon. These guys clearly think it’s too warm around here now!

Take a hike!

2010-10-26T09:15:00.004+02:00

Just returned from my fourth hike into the Grand Canyon along the Bright Angels Trail:

Took way too many pics along the way ...

One of the impressive views half way down.

From 2010_10_Grand Canyon

This indicates the altitude level at the Colorado River (above sea level)

From 2010_10_Grand Canyon_People

Down at the Colorado River, we relaxed and cooled down:

This was the elevation back at the South Rim:

From 2010_10_Grand Canyon_People

Google: Is the search party over?

2010-08-10T21:29:00.004+02:00

FORTUNE Magazine: Table of Contents - CNNMoney.com: "COVER STORY

Google: The search party is over
The company is still growing at rates others would kill for. But its core business is slowing, and its stock is down. Can Google find its footing in this brave new world? By Michael V. Copeland, with Seth Weintraub"

I found this one of the more interesting quotes from this article:

"And what if you don't even have a question to pose? What if you just need help? Consider the case of American graduate student James Buck. Egyptian police detained Buck for taking photographs of a protest in a city outside Cairo. Using his cellphone and his Twitter account, Buck broadcast a single word, "arrested." Buck's network alerted officials at the University of California at Berkeley, who ultimately got the U.S. State Department and a local lawyer involved. Buck was out of jail in 24 hours. Try that with a keyword search."

It seems a little like an unfair comparison, however, it illustrates nicely that mostly automated search results can only do so and so much when it comes to reaching the same level of interpersonal trust, significance and actionability that can be reached by human driven albeit - technology supported - communication.

Another case in point:

"McCue was an early Netscape guy, and he recently launched tablet software company Flipboard, which takes all your Facebook updates, your Twitter feeds, all the news sites you like and subscribe to, and in a very elegant way publishes a constantly updated magazine of text, photos, and video. "There is no need to do a search," McCue says. "We almost view it as a bug if we have the user search for something."

Anyhow, I found the article well worth reading - even though it really seems odd for most mere mortals looking down on a company that is expected to grow by only 15% over the next years. Anyway, it's quite interesting following the intense discussion on this topic here:

http://www.webmasterworld.com/goog/4179166.htm

How Toyota is being tested by its biggest crisis yet. - Jul. 12, 2010

2010-08-10T15:57:00.001+02:00

It's interesting to observe how an apparent key success factor - the setup of chief engineers ("shusas") driving their products through their entire life cycle - of what made Toyota so successful over decades seems to have had a significant negative involvement in the company's recent problems:

How Toyota is being tested by its biggest crisis yet. - Jul. 12, 2010:

"The shusas are emblematic of the idiosyncratic management that served Toyota immensely well when it was trying to conquer the world with superior vehicles -- today Toyota ranks fifth on the Fortune Global 500, with revenues of $204.1 billion -- but that failed it spectacularly when the company was confronted with a storm of complaints about safety. As the company grew, its Japanese leaders never relinquished the iron grip they exercised over the company's operations all over the world and continued to make all important decisions in Japan. Instead of globalizing, Toyota colonized."

Just hope that Toyota takes the right lessons out of this - both for the benefit of the company, but particularly also as an industry leader of lean production system.

Google: The search party is over - Fortune Tech

2010-08-07T22:42:00.000+02:00

Google: The search party is over - Fortune Tech: "But critics question whether Google can make the leap. 'They are just not that good at it,' says Tom Coates, until recently the head of product at Yahoo's defunct Brickhouse lab. 'Google is very good at building these utility-type products -- search, e-mail, and messaging. They are sort of like the power company of the Internet. But what they lack is a sense of how people share and collaborate.'"

Official Google Blog: Update on Google Wave

2010-08-05T13:50:00.001+02:00

As much as I regret seeing Google Wave falling by the wayside, I have to say I do respect the clear and yet respectful language that Google uses to announce the end of this project. I don't remember seeing this so often ...

Official Google Blog: Update on Google Wave: "

Wave has taught us a lot, and we are proud of the team for the ways in which they have pushed the boundaries of computer science. We are excited about what they will develop next as we continue to create innovations with the potential to advance technology and the wider web."

Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave more insight into why Google Wave was stopped:

"We have a pretty strong view on this," he said. "As a culture we don't over-promote products...we tend to sort of release them and then see what happens."

Schmidt boiled it down to a mathematical formula. A new product gets announced and gets a certain amount of traction. At some point, growth falls off the first wave of people finishes trying things out. Then, it begins to grow again. "The first derivative of that second growth is a high and accurate predictor of what will happen."

Lexington: Where has all the greatness gone? | The Economist

2010-07-23T13:18:00.000+02:00

Lexington: Where has all the greatness gone? | The Economist:

"When Barack Obama visited France last year a British reporter asked the president whether he believed in American exceptionalism. Mr Obama said he did—“just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” You may think that an agreeably tactful answer. And yet some conservatives have turned it into a profane text, one that proves Mr Obama’s unfitness for the great office he holds. More than a year after the event they are still banging on about it."

It still amazes me how much badwill itcan create at home when a president acts and speaks like a rationale, responsible and mature representative of his country on a visite of another nation. - Granted, this already happened about a year ago. Unbelievable to read that there is still unrest about it!

Feinberg Says Bonuses Paid by Troubled Banks Were Unmerited - NYTimes.com

2010-07-23T09:00:00.000+02:00

Feinberg Says Bonuses Paid by Troubled Banks Were Unmerited - NYTimes.com

Just a few days ago, the overhaul of the U.S. Financial System received quite some applause from abroad. This morning Ilearned about this:

In a report to be released on Friday,Kenneth R. Feinberg, the Obama administration’s special master forexecutive compensation, is expected to name 17 financial companies that made questionable payouts totaling $1.58 billion immediately after accepting billions of dollars of taxpayer aid, according to two government officials with knowledge of his findings who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the report.
The group includes Wall Street giants like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and theAmerican International Group as well as small lenders like Boston Private Financial Holdings. Mr. Feinberg’s report points to companies that he says paid eye-popping amounts or used haphazard criteria for awarding bonuses, the people with knowledge of his findings said, and he has singled out Citigroup as the biggest offender.

When I read this and consider that many people lost their jobs because of the financial crisis - it really makes me wonder what people paying out enormous bonuses based on questionable criteria essentially abusing taxpayer dollars and those receiving them think when they look into the mirror?

I.B.M. Shuffles Top Management - NYTimes.com

2010-07-22T10:15:00.000+02:00

I.B.M. Shuffles Top Management - NYTimes.com

Increasingly, Mr. Palmisano wrote, computer systems must be “designed and brought to market as tightly integrated” packages of hardware and software.

Even though one can argue that Oracle's acquisition of Sun validates this point, I am not sure this really holds true.

This should have been a red card!

2010-07-12T20:53:00.003+02:00

Still don't understand why this wasn't the end of the game for the kick boxer!

Finale Niederländer: Verwarnungen in Reihe - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Sport

Neues Deutschland-Bild: Die Sympathie-Weltmeister - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Politik

2010-07-08T22:07:00.000+02:00

Neues Deutschland-Bild: Die Sympathie-Weltmeister - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Politik

Das ist doch eine angenehme Überraschung:

"Zwei Generationen nach dem Krieg sei Deutschland endlich auf dem Weg zurück in die Rolle Europas führender Kulturnation. Das deutsche Integrationsmodell könne zum Vorbild für Europa werden, schreibt Journalist Mogensen."

Argentina 0 Germany 4 | The Sun |Sport|Football|World Cup 2010 | View All Comments

2010-07-03T23:20:00.001+02:00

Four month ago Maradona didn't want to sit besides Mueller in a press conference because he didn't know the young german player and meant that's beneath him to sit by a "nobody". Well, Maradona, do you twig it now? Argentina is not the centre of the football world. You have to respect your combatants.

In memoriam WERNER HILPERT

2010-06-24T18:07:00.001+02:00

18. April 1932 – 23. Juni 2010

Spent a sunny afternoon in the Luisenpark

2010-03-07T20:39:00.001+01:00

After the sudden snowfall yesterday, we enjoyed the sunny Sunday – even though the snow wasn’t quite gone yet.

Winter is back!

2010-03-06T21:06:00.000+01:00

We woke up and didn’t believe our eyes – everything white:

Julian didn’t think twice, build a battery of snowmen first

and an iglu right thereafter:

Experimenting with Windows Live Writer

2010-03-06T15:55:00.001+01:00

Trying to maintain two different weblogs with one tool. Initially it didn’t work – but it seems like deleting and re-entering the second weblog account helps.

I just saw this on Vancouver Sun

2010-03-05T08:55:00.002+01:00

Worth considering!

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Revealing+your+location+online+always+wise/2639824/story.html

White Sunday

2010-02-01T13:47:00.007+01:00

This was a really beautiful Sunday. Started the day with another 3 rounds on the green slopes in Wilhelmsfeld and then enjoyed the great weather on a walk near the Neckar river.

From 2010_Winter

Zum Glück waren wir vor 2 Tagen auf der Loipe ...

2009-12-30T23:15:00.000+01:00

Neuigkeiten vom Lift: "Der Wetterbericht hat wieder einmal recht gehabt. Massiver Wärmeeinbruch mit Regen, echtes Schietwetter."

Hoffentlich wird es nächste Woche wieder kälter!

IBM sells three different BPMS

2009-12-29T22:53:00.001+01:00

BPMS Watch:

"BPM involves process (Websphere), information (FileNet), and people (Lombardi).� Now we have a separate BPMS for each of those. Isn’t that great? Ummm, no."

Couldn't agree more with Bruce.

Pfalz

2009-09-15T21:46:00.001+02:00

Last Friday we took advatage of the kids being taken care of and went some 60 km west towards Deidesheim. That evening and on Saturday we spent some great hours enjoying views like this. The weather fully co-operated. I shouldn't miss to point out the fabulous dinner at the Deidesheimer Hof.

Gone Fishing ...

2009-08-14T19:00:00.002+02:00

From Toscana 2008

Erlebniszentrum Naturgewalten

2009-06-07T23:00:00.001+02:00

Im „Erlebniszentrum Naturgewalten Sylt“ erwartet Sie eine Ausstellung mit spielerischer Wissensvermittlung und vielen interaktiven Elementen. Das Zentrum will für Vielfalt, Schönheit und Schutz der Insel Sylt und den Nationalpark Wattenmeer begeistern, die Bedeutung von Naturgewalten erlebbar machen und aktuelle Meeresforschung darstellen. In drei Bereichen werden die Themen „Kräfte der Nordsee“, „Leben mit Naturgewalten“ und „Klima, Wetter, Klimaforschung“ auf unterhaltsame und spannende Weise dargeboten. Auf 1.500 Quadratmetern Ausstellungsfläche informieren wir z.B. anschaulich über Wetterereignisse, Leben in Watt und Dünen, Küstenschutz und erneuerbare Energien.

Auch wir hatten kürzlich ausreichend Gelegenheit zumindest den Wind auf Sylt als Naturgewalt vor Ort kennenzulernen. Der Besuch des Erlebniszentrums in List lohnt sich! Man sollte aber unbedingt ein paar Stunden Zeit mitbringen …

Gone fishing ...

2009-05-23T21:39:00.000+02:00

We were there …

2009-05-14T06:33:00.001+02:00

I started to get paranoid yesterday when my meeting with Wolfgang Hilpert and Thomas Vollmering was scheduled at the same time as Ginger Gatling’s session on NetWeaver BPM, then they didn’t show for the meeting – was there something they didn’t want me to know? However, it was just a scheduling glitch, and eventually we met up so that they could brief me on the current release and what’s coming later this year.

We waited in the meeting room in across the hallway as defined in the meeting invite. With a little delay, I think we ended up having a great discussion (again!), Sandy.

Easter on the sled

2009-04-14T21:36:00.003+02:00

Just returned from a relaxing Easter weekend in the Black Forest. More observations to follow later. Just a few impressions can be found here:

2009_04_Schwarzwald

Our last stop on this extended weekend trip was the Steinwasen Park:

There begins the rapid descent. Get a sled and enjoy "toboggan fun" during the summer.

Weekend on the slope

2009-02-15T18:50:00.004+01:00

On Saturday morning, we looked out of the window and had this view.

A little later, Julian and I headed out to the nearest slopes less that half an hour from our home in Wilhelmsfeld. On Saturday we took the green slope. Today I was quite impressed with Julian as he managed to finish the red slope (10 km) in a decent time and without any complaint.

Bruce Silver's has written a White Paper about SAP NetWeaver BPM

2009-02-01T14:44:00.000+01:00

SAP Network Blogs: "Don't miss Bruce Silver's latest white paper on SAP NetWeaver BPM that 'explains SAP's place in the BPM landscape and describes its new offering in that arena'. The paper addresses the challenge on how to provide end-to-end business processes that go beyond organizational and geographical boundaries, i.e. how to provide a 'holistic view'."

Obama Pressures Wall Street Over Bonuses - NYTimes.com

2009-01-31T20:24:00.000+01:00

Obama Pressures Wall Street Over Bonuses - NYTimes.com: "“There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses,” Mr. Obama said during an appearance in the Oval Office with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner. “Now’s not that time. And that’s a message that I intend to send directly to them, I expect Secretary Geithner to send to them.”"

Very different statement about values than what we saw during the past 8 years in the White House.

Playing with Windows Live …

2009-01-27T23:04:00.001+01:00

Let’s see whether I can edit this via Live Writer in offline mode …

Seems to work like a charm! – Thanks, Greg for this tip!

Gefährliche Rückstände: Mediziner warnen vor miefender Raucher-Kleidung - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Wissenschaft

2009-01-08T22:55:00.001+01:00

"Man kennt das: Wer mit einem passionierten Raucher im Fahrstuhl die Kabine nach oben teilt, kann riechen, dass der Kollege oder die Kollegin zur Zigarette gegriffen hat - obwohl diese längst erloschen ist. Denn Gestank und giftige Stoffe haben sich in den Kleidern und Haaren festgesetzt."

Gefährliche Rückstände: Mediziner warnen vor miefender Raucher-Kleidung - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten - Wissenschaft

Irgendwie hat mich der Rauch in der Kleidung auch am nächsten Tag nach einem Kneipenbesuch schon immer gestört.

Cross country ski

2009-01-06T23:09:00.000+01:00

Today, we used the public holiday in our part of the country to visit Gernsbach - Skigebiet Kaltenbronn for some exercise in the winter. Julian did great and just finished his first 6.4km slope on skis (me, too, by the way ...)!

Picasa Web Albums

Local News | More snow, then rain, to be followed by possible urban flooding | Seattle Times Newspaper

2008-12-23T20:46:00.002+01:00

Our kids are eagerly waiting for some snow here in the Heidelberg area. We just noticed today that in our previous home area in Seattle there's probably be more than enough:

"We're likely going to see more snow tonight, and when things warm up later this week, there's a good chance of urban flooding as rain and melting snow overwhelm clogged or frozen storm drains"

wisest German

2008-12-23T13:10:00.003+01:00

Congratulations!
Germany's popular leader: Helmut Schmidt turns 90

Helmut Schmidt is a truly remarkable person and leader.
Unbelievable - where does he take his energy from to work still as hard as he does at his age?

English-challenged President Bush speaks with forked tongue

2008-12-07T21:02:00.000+01:00

English-challenged President Bush speaks with forked tongue:
"While it is understandable that a commander in chief would not want to appear weak in the middle of a war, there are ways to defend and lead the nation while acknowledging the hard truth. To say otherwise is to believe the only way to lead is to mislead."
What went wrong after the war that went wrong ...

Greed is good except when it isn't

2008-09-15T17:37:00.000+02:00

I wonder what's next in terms of news from the financial market and whether or not this will have any impact on the behavior of some of the key contributors to this mess?

Google Chrome and Google Bookmarks

2008-09-04T15:08:00.000+02:00

You know, the bookmarks are my main complaint so far. I use Google Bookmarks with the GMarks firefox plugin, and it's really annoying that I cannot access those with a browser FROM Google.

They should have used Google Bookmarks instead of a local bookmark archive.

OBAMAFEST

2008-07-25T22:06:00.000+02:00

"What the hell is going on," muttered one bewildered expat, turning around and around in a sea of flags and fondness. "They're supposed to hate us here."

Titelanwärter Niederlande: Revolution in Orange - Sport - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

2008-06-14T13:33:00.002+02:00

So muss man spielen, wenn man Europameister werden will:

Direktes Spiel, ein starkes Kollektiv, schnelle Angriffe über die Flügel: Die Niederlande demonstrieren Europa, wie moderner Fußball funktioniert. Eine Abkehr von der bislang praktizierten Spielphilosophie ist der Schlüssel zum Erfolg. Wer kann diesen Sturmlauf noch stoppen?

Titelanwärter Niederlande: Revolution in Orange - Sport - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

War ein tolles Spiel gestern - ich tippe auf die Holländer als kommender Champion.

Bashing SAP, Oracle and Other 'Stackers' | The Intelligent Enterprise Blog

2008-06-01T23:45:00.002+02:00

As usual: Bruce cuts right to the chase:

The real reason for Jim to be cranky about the Stackers is that they do have a stack — an SOA stack — that BPM rides on top of. The pureplay BPM vendors — our former term for the non-Stackers — don't, and as BPM moves to the enterprise, customers increasingly want one. The non-Stackers say, we have a UDDI browser, just layer our BPM on top of any SOA stack. But that is apparently a hard sell.

Bashing SAP, Oracle and Other 'Stackers' | The Intelligent Enterprise Blog

Just returned

2008-05-25T22:01:00.001+02:00

We spent a very relaxing couple of weeks in Plakias, Crete.

Please stay tuned - planning to upload a few more shots soon.

Review: SAPPHIRE 2008 - Where SAP is heading to… | ARIS BPM Blog

2008-05-25T21:36:00.002+02:00

We certainly like this feedback:

I was impressed by the live demos, especially by the given demo of the future SAP BPM offering within the SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment where Ian showed how to create a BPMN-based process-model by using the eclipse-based process composer that can be executed in the future within the new SAP process server. By offering this new technology SAP moves a step further towards a BPMS vendor that enables customers to create executable processes without coding or developing efforts just by using existing enterprise service. The combination of shipped and existing services of ESR with the possibility to create fast-term changeable executable processes based on models will be a very positive step towards a flexible and easy to adopt process execution.

Review: SAPPHIRE 2008 - Where SAP is heading to… | ARIS BPM Blog

Gone fishing ...

2008-05-10T13:01:00.002+02:00

SAP CEOs preach networks, collaboration and BPM

2008-05-10T12:00:00.002+02:00

"BPM is a journey, not a destination, and they've shown some solid steps on that journey," Greenbaum said. "One tough thing they have to do is to temper people's enthusiasm with some reality; but it's a great start. They're taking the right steps, but there's a long way to go to fully reach the vision of BPM."

SAP CEOs preach networks, collaboration and BPM

2008-05-10T11:56:00.002+02:00

"BPM is a journey, not a destination, and they've shown some solid steps on that journey," Greenbaum said. "One tough thing they have to do is to temper people's enthusiasm with some reality; but it's a great start. They're taking the right steps, but there's a long way to go to fully reach the vision of BPM."

SAP CEOs preach networks, collaboration and BPM

SAPPHIRE: Wolfgang Hilpert on SAP BPM | The Intelligent Enterprise Blog

2008-05-09T22:32:00.002+02:00

Sapphire was much more fun this year ...

...funnily enough, just after I attended Ginger Gatling's session this morning, I had lunch in the press area, and when I mentioned that I'd seen the session on the new SAP BPM, three pairs of ears at the table swiveled around. These three, who I didn't know (nametags, unfortunately, hang below the level of the table when seated), gave me a light grilling on my opinions of what I had seen;

SAPPHIRE: Wolfgang Hilpert on SAP BPM | The Intelligent Enterprise Blog

Blogged with the Flock Browser

No sugar-coating, please!

2008-04-22T23:03:00.002+02:00

Too bad MSFT's CEO just doesn't say: "Sorry, we were wrong with our strategy for Vista!"

In SteveB's words:

"A very important piece of work and I think we did a lot of things right and I think we have a lot of things we need to learn from," Ballmer continued. "Certainly, you never want to let five years go between releases and we just sort of kiss that stone and move on. Because, it turns out, many things become problematic when you have those long release cycles. The design point, what you should be targeting. We can't ever let that happen again. We have some things that we can't just set the dial back, but I think people wish we could."

Tech Tracks | Microsoft's Ballmer gives unvarnished take on Windows, online businesses | Seattle Times Newspaper Blog

Matching maps

2008-04-13T19:46:00.000+02:00

Not sure whether this map

Create your own travel map or travel blog

Visit TripAdvisor.com

matches with the locations of the visitors of this site ...

Hamburg Airport

2008-03-28T20:37:00.003+01:00

Just returned from a relaxing Easter break in my home town. We took the kids to enjoy a unique view of the Hamburg Airport that already fascinated me when I was at their age:

The Airport Model of Hamburg Airport on a scale of 1:500 is the only one of its kind in the world; it provides a comprehensive insight into the entire airport grounds, clearance and flight operations and the Lufthansa Technik base.

Hamburg Airport

Baden Baden

2008-03-09T22:46:00.003+01:00

Spent the day in Baden-Baden. It does have quite some really nice areas! Not sure I wanted to live there, though ...

Picasa Web Albums - whilpert - 2008_03_09_Ba... - IMG_3137.JPG

We were quite impressed by the ruins of the old castle up on the hill overlooking the city and the Rhine river valley.

Schulzeitverkürzung: Ein pädagogisches Desaster | ZEIT online

2008-02-17T23:06:00.001+01:00

Die Bundesrepublik ist nicht reich an Beispielen für Reformen, die kassiert wurden, weil sie nichts verbesserten. Aber wenn jemals in einer politischen Einzelfrage eine Umkehr, ein Einsehen bei den politisch Verantwortlichen nötig (und möglich!) war, dann jetzt – manchmal ist der einzige Weg nach vorn ein Schritt zurück.

Schulzeitverkürzung: Ein pädagogisches Desaster | ZEIT online

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BPM in a Large-Scale Packaged Application Context

2008-02-09T03:56:00.001+01:00

BPM in a Large-Scale Packaged Application Context
Did the first public Demo of Galaxy at a non-SAP event. Went quite well. At least I enjoyed showing it on stage.
I am still struggling with this city, though.

Now I am actually stuck in Vegas for an extra day. Oh well!

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Turbo-Abitur: Gymnasiasten ächzen unter der Stundenlast - SchulSPIEGEL - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

2008-02-08T02:54:00.000+01:00

Turbo-Abitur: Gymnasiasten ächzen unter der Stundenlast - SchulSPIEGEL - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten: "'Jetzt müssen die Lehrpläne entrümpelt werden. Die Zahl der Unterrichtsstunden muss ein wenig verringert werden".

Wohl wahr. Es wird Zeit, dass sich da endlich mal etwas tut. Oder muss erst eine weitere Pisa-Hysterie-Welle kommen, um entsprechenden Problemdruck bei den Entscheidungsträgern zu entfalten?

A Giant Bid That Shows How Tired the Giant Is - New York Times

2008-02-04T06:22:00.001+01:00

Having failed to challenge Google where it matters most — in online advertising — it has been reduced to bulking up by buying Google’s nearest but still distant competitor. In many ways, the company has become exactly what Bill Gates used to fear the most — sluggish, bureaucratic, slow to respond to new forms of competition — just as I.B.M. was when Microsoft convinced that era’s tech behemoth to use Microsoft’s operating system in its new personal computer.
(...)
Here we are nearly 27 years later, and Microsoft’s core product is still its operating system, now called Windows — that and its suite of applications, called Office, that run on Windows. They generate billions of dollars annually for the company. The most recent version of Windows, released almost exactly a year ago, has already been installed in 100 million computers. Yet in technology, 27 years is a lifetime, and there is a powerful sense that while it has spent enormous effort over the years protecting its monopoly, the world has passed it by. In particular, the technology world now centers on the Internet, where Google reigns supreme, and Microsoft has never succeeded in making serious inroads.
(...)
Besides, the old strategies that once worked so well for Microsoft — strategies that worked when the world still revolved around Windows — have no place in this new world. I
(...)
Today, Microsoft lacks both the weaponry and the nimbleness to compete with Google. Its operating system monopoly gives it no advantages in this battle. People can use Microsoft’s operating system and browser to get to the Internet — and to Google — or they can use Apple’s. It truly doesn’t matter. Meanwhile, with every new Internet fad, like the current frenzy over social networking, Microsoft is invariably caught flat-footed and has to race to just get a foot in the game. But that’s always the way it is when companies get big — and it is why real innovation always comes from small companies that don’t have a predetermined mind-set, or monopoly profits to protect."

A Giant Bid That Shows How Tired the Giant Is - New York Times

It is amazing that despite all the talks about big goals, about "finding the next billion $ market opportunity for Microsoft" - I experienced strong tendency to keep change out ... and not that much willingness to explore new ways doing business in order to reach new targets.

As impressive as Microsoft's position in operating systems and office applications is, it seems like this success also provides a trap for the company that just doesn't seem to find an effective way driving a substantial enough level of market innovations in adjacent or new markets.

I am wondering how this bid plays out. Plus: if this merger really happens - will it play out as a turning point for Microsoft that doesn't just add new people, customers and lines of code to their business - but also new ways of driving innovation?

Trip to Half Moon Bay

2008-02-04T03:49:00.001+01:00

Picasa Web Albums - whilpert - 2008_02_03_Ha... - Image016.jpg
While in the area, we had a great trip to the Half Moon Bay today.
Thanks, Martina and Amir!

Yahoo-Übernahme: Warum Fusionen floppen - drei Lektionen für Microsoft - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

2008-02-02T06:17:00.000+01:00

Yahoo-Übernahme: Warum Fusionen floppen - drei Lektionen für Microsoft - Wirtschaft - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten: "Viele der richtig guten Köpfe von Yahoo sind nämlich bereits zu Google und anderen Konkurrenten geflüchtet."

Cicero - Magazin für politische Kultur

2008-02-02T05:44:00.000+01:00

Cicero - Magazin für politische Kultur:
"Was die Angelegenheit so heikel macht: Es sind die Besten und Jüngsten, die genug haben und gehen. Im Gegensatz zu den Auswanderungswellen des 19. Jahrhunderts verlassen nicht etwa Analphabeten, Bauern und verzweifelte Arbeiter das Land. Wir erleben keine Elendsflucht, sondern einen Exodus des gebildeten Mittelstands. Das Durchschnittsalter unserer Auswanderer beträgt 32 Jahre, es sind junge Ärzte und Ingenieure, Wissenschaftler und Facharbeiter, Handwerker, Techniker und ehrgeizige Dienstleister. Nach Angaben der OECD verliert derzeit kein anderer Staat so viele Akademiker."

Das ist wirklich beunruhigend!

The Electric Car Acid Test

2008-01-30T12:05:00.001+01:00

On Jan. 21, Agassi, Olmert, Peres, and Ghosn unveiled the novel project, under which Agassi's Silicon Valley company, Better Place, will sell electric cars and build a network of locations where drivers can charge and replace batteries.

The Electric Car Acid Test

Fascinating to watch this!
Had the chance to interact regularly with Shai for a little over a year before he left SAP. If someone can meet this considerable challenge, Shai certainly has the drive needed to do so.

vowe dot net :: Have things returned to normal? Yes, they have.

2008-01-30T07:56:00.001+01:00

From my own experience, Americans focus more on the positive things than Germans do. They try to find the good in everything. You will often hear words like outstanding, best in class, award winning, awesome and so on. If you do that in German, your messages will effectively be filtered. Germans in contrast often focus on the deficiencies. You can't solve a problem without identifying it first. :-)

vowe dot net :: Have things returned to normal? Yes, they have.

Great observation, Volker!

Having worked in the U.S. for several years and working now back in Germany, however, on a multi-national team, I can confirm this observation literally on a daily basis.

Better Insight for Business Decisions

2008-01-12T19:42:00.001+01:00

But despite all of the rearchitecting SAP has done for SOA, it still doesn't have explicit process management. The company is beginning to preview and demo a new product called Galaxy, which is the company's new explicit process management technology,

Q&A: Gartner's Janelle Hill on the Future of BPM, SOA and Enterprise Apps > > Intelligent Enterprise: Better Insight for Business Decisions

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A galaxy of side-by-side innovation

2008-01-10T21:38:00.001+01:00

On the NetWeaver front, the most exciting news was the new business process management (BPM) suite. Code-named Galaxy, the BPM products are part of the NetWeaver Composition Environment. The tools include a process composer, process server, web editor, rule builder, rule management, rule analytics, and a rule engine. Galaxy will be part of the core NetWeaver platform and will be used for SAP Business Suite, SAP All-in-One, and SAP Business ByDesign.

ERP/SCM: 24 Hours With SAP

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Will BPM help fighting back a recession and increasing trust in 2008?

2008-01-05T11:55:00.001+01:00

Conventional wisdom tells that companies could rather be expected to invest in new IT tools and concepts such as BPM when their budgets are on expansion during an economic uptake. Let's see whether Louis Columbus prediction turns out right that BPM will help spending the marketing funs more wisely. I certainly would hope so!

4. Channel management apps add the ability to audit marketing strategies past the department to the role level. There's an interesting undercurrent in many marketing departments regarding the use of marketing audits to evaluate the performance of initiatives, strategies and programs.
As BPM (business process management) apps become more pervasive, their use in customer-facing strategies will significantly increase. Chief marketing officers are seeking solutions to tying together process performance to marketing strategy results, so the question can be answered "So is the process or the strategy more or less effective and why?" An economic downturn would just hasten this happening as accountability will go up fast.

CRM News: Business Intelligence: Predictions 2008: Fighting Back a Recession and Increasing Trust

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News from the slope

2008-01-03T21:39:00.001+01:00

After ice-skating yesterday, we decided it was time to go cross-country skiing and sledding today. We went to a small village called Kaltenbronn - about an hour away from Heidelberg and more than 900 m above sea level.
Once we got above the 700 m we started to see enough of the white stuff today to make the kids happy ...

Julian tried cross-country skiing for the first time today. I was amazed about how well he did.

Afterwards we took the sled out - from there it went downhill ...

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Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T18:46:00.000+01:00

We wish you a happy and healthy New Year 2008. Pauline, Julian and I tried our luck for this year already on a rather slippery surface: we went ice-skating arena in Heddesheim.
As much as I tried to stay ahead of the crowd - no chance, the kids were passing easily me pretty much on each round ... Pauline did so even with style - I don't think she fell even once. Her little brother tested the firmness of the ice with his back a bunch of times ...

The Christmas Story

2007-12-31T00:40:00.001+01:00

Just finished reading (the German version) of Barbara Robinson's great way of telling the story - that most of us have already heard so many times - to my daughter.

I can highly recommend this to any parent.

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Molvania (Jetlag Travel Guide)

2007-12-30T19:47:00.001+01:00

Why would you bother reading a travel guide about a country that doesn't even exist? Well, I am glad that a friend gave me this one at my last birthday:

Some rather subtle, some not so subtle jokes that must be based on a ton of observations from real travel experiences.

Thanks a lot, Gerold !

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Dreaming of a White Christmas ...

2007-12-23T15:07:00.000+01:00

... looks like chances are reasonably good this year - at least for a thin layer of the white stuff ...

Vision and Execution

2007-12-19T15:38:00.001+01:00

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare." - Japanese Proverb

Inserted from <http://www.lucasforums.com/archive/index.php/t-153144.html>

Happy Birthday, Julian!

2007-12-15T18:25:00.000+01:00

Unbelievable - Julian just turned 6 years old!
He doesn't even let us light the candles for him anymore.

Back to Boston

2007-12-06T23:39:00.000+01:00

It was fun spending a couple of days in Boston after having moved away from the area more than 6 years ago. After all, it seems like the Big Dig has had a positive impact. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time left meeting many of the old friends I would have liked to catch up with while being back in town.
The trip was fun nevertheless - except for being downgraded on the flight from Frankfurt to Boston. Thanks, Lufthansa! grrr :-(

CIO-Reinvented Blog - By Prashanth Rai: SAP Teched Bangalore - Keynote (Live Blogged)

2007-12-02T21:18:00.001+01:00

Project Galaxy - Business Process Management , Same Notation to describe human and system intergrationYasu Acquistion - Business Rule Management ( Lufthansa , Bombay Stock Exchange use Yasu) - World class ProductGalaxy Demo'd - Eclipse, BPMN based , Linking of specification to services.SAP takes care of all processes, Human, Package & System

CIO-Reinvented Blog - By Prashanth Rai: SAP Teched Bangalore - Keynote (Live Blogged)

It's fun to hear about this even faster on the SAP external channel - than internally ...

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Test Flock

2007-11-03T22:05:00.001+01:00

Is it really as easy as vowe says?

I guess it is ...

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Just got back home

2007-11-03T21:48:00.000+01:00

From a great long weekend trip:

Air Force One: Ein A380 für den US-Präsidenten? - Panorama - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten

2007-10-21T20:09:00.000+02:00

Air Force One: Ein A380 für den US-Präsidenten? - Panorama - SPIEGEL ONLINE - Nachrichten: "Allerdings darf man auch das amerikanische Streben nach Größe nicht außer Acht lassen, wie ein Kommentator im Forum der Website Defensetech.org anmerkt. Er fragt, wie es wohl um den amerikanischen Stolz bestellt wäre wenn der US-Präsident 'mit seiner kleinen 747, 777 oder gar 787 neben dem riesigen A380' eines europäischen Regierungschefs parken würde?"

Tough choice ...

Leaking an internal project codename ...

2007-10-20T21:55:00.000+02:00

Some folks at SAP have strong reservations - should we even call it paranoia? - against us referring about a new product in development by its internal codename when talking to our customers and partners.

A couple of weeks ago during SAP TechEd 07 Las Vegas, this led to a rather funny situation. My pal Thomas and I were meeting with a group of customers and started talking about our new BPM product that we are working on. After a while one of the customers asked: "Do you mean the project 'Galaxy'?"

This past week, my boss just leaked the codename as part of introducing our product during his keynote presentation at the TechEd 07 Munich. Later, during a press & analyst 1:1 he has also provided a little more background info about the codename which made it onto one of the German websites:

heise online - SAP gibt erstmals Software an Eclipse Foundation: "Netweaver CE soll im kommenden Jahr noch ein BPMN-Modellierungstool (Galaxy) einschließlich Ablaufumgebung erhalten. Der Name ist eine kleine Verneigung vor Douglas Adam und dessen 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'."

Life can be so much easier if we can all talk about this new thing and call it by the same name!

Update: SAP buys Businees Rules vendor to boost NetWeaver - Yahoo! News

2007-10-18T19:02:00.000+02:00

Update: SAP buys BPM vendor to boost NetWeaver - Yahoo! News: "SAP is buying a small Indian software company to help beef up the business process management capabilities in its NetWeaver applications platform."

It's always a challenge to get all the details right ... we didn't acquire a BPM vendor, but a rules vendor.
However, now the cat is out of the bag, finally.

Sunday afternoon walk

2007-10-07T21:09:00.000+02:00

Great area to live in, great weather, great time ...

What is Tubes?

2007-10-03T13:39:00.000+02:00

What is Tubes?

Another interesting new tool to share content online. Just came across this by coincidence. John Landry has founded the company. Will play with it a little - stay tuned.

SAP Delivers New Capabilities for SAP NetWeaver(R) to Power Accelerated Business Innovation

2007-10-03T12:46:00.000+02:00

Featuring our stuff during the keynote at SAP TechEd 07 in Las Vegas seems to have an impact:

SAP Delivers New Capabilities for SAP NetWeaver(R) to Power Accelerated Business Innovation: "Additionally, SAP is previewing its business process management (BPM) road map designed to empower business process experts to collaboratively manage composite business processes, spanning SAP and non-SAP applications, on a live, executable model. SAP sees major industry trends driving this effort: -- Individualization of business processes so that users, as process participants, can work in a way that is most effective for them -- Combination of process elements such as business events, business rules, people's roles and task flows into one process experience -- Evolution of standards such as the business process modeling notation (BPMN) mutually accepted by business analysts and process architects alike"

Where is the pirate's treasure?

2007-09-08T17:46:00.000+02:00

Ever seen this? A pirate ship on a corn field ...

Took the family on a bike tour to the Hegehof-Labyrinth 2007. Particularly the kids had good fun looking for the posts with the cues to the treasure within the labyrinth.
On the way towards the Hegehof, we stumbled across a flea market in Ladenburg again. This happened to us before last year. No chance for even walking your bike through this nice little town - way too crowded ...

(Almost) Back to work ... planning a trip to Las Vegas early October?

2007-09-01T23:46:00.000+02:00

Curious about what SAP is cooking for BPM right now? If yes - we would love to welcome you for this:

SAP - SAP TechEd '07 Las Vegas: "Business Process Management (BPM) – an Overview of SAP NetWeaver Capabilities Business applications evolve from applications centered on database transactions to meaningful collections of rich business objects, accessible as enterprise services and integrated through business events. This requires a broader view of business process management (BPM), as well as event-driven architectures to support flexible deployment. Learn about the evolving technologies for business process and event management in the SAP NetWeaver platform."

What a view!

2007-09-01T22:44:00.000+02:00

Today we made a stop at Le Mont Saint Michel on our way back from the Bretagne. Coming around one corner, all of a sudden we were looking at this:

Notre Dame

2007-08-29T13:01:00.000+02:00

Pretty much each little town that we visited on our tour through the Bretagne had their own "Notre Dame":

staying "off the grid"

2007-08-23T22:25:00.000+02:00

This is the issue I'm currently wrestling with. Can very well relate to the challenge described in this article. It's just not as easy as people not directly involved may think ...

Gone fishing

2007-08-20T22:10:00.000+02:00

How to use a monkey bar.

2007-08-12T21:11:00.000+02:00

Best shown by a monkey:

Luftschiffkegeln

2007-08-11T23:32:00.000+02:00

Bad-Homburg: "1. Deutsches Luftschiffkegeln Die „5. Bad Homburger Luftschiffparade“ am 11. August auf dem Kronenhof wartet mit einer Neuigkeit auf, dem 1. Deutschen Luftschiffkegeln. Neun Heißluft-Luftschiffe nehmen an dem Wettbewerb und der Parade teil, so viel wie nie zuvor. Sie starten in den Abendstunden, doch schon ab 12 Uhr werden unterhaltsame Veranstaltungen und Informationen rund um die Luftschifffahrt geboten."

Dank Andrea und Uli waren wir dabei. Das war schon wirklich etwas Ausgefallenes ...

YouTube - Apple Iraq

2007-08-11T22:59:00.000+02:00

This is truly hilarious:

Hamburg

2007-08-07T23:32:00.000+02:00

Just returned from a short trip to my home town.

Had great fun taking my family on a little boat tour on the canals through Hamburg.

Above is just one of the great views. The weather was just perfect - whether that's typical for northern Germany or not ...

FunForest

2007-08-03T23:58:00.000+02:00

Unbelievable ... we went on a team outing today and all of a sudden I found myself hanging in the trees like this ...

Sunset

2007-07-31T22:26:00.000+02:00

The colors were too tempting for not taking this picture ...

Some sunlight

2007-06-30T14:24:00.000+02:00

Did I say the weather wasn't exactly what we had hoped for during our recent vacation? At least this created some spectacular views:

Back from Toscany

2007-06-10T22:35:00.000+02:00

Just returned from a couple of great weeks in San Vincenzo.
The weather left some room for improvement, particularly during the first week. We nevertheless enjoyed the great landscape, food, wine & the many nice little towns in this area. Plan sharing some more pictures over the next few days.

From 2007_05-06_To...

Greg the Architect - SOA This. SOA That.

2007-05-25T09:46:00.000+02:00

Do you get the real value of SOA?