Practical Intelligence

The intelligence that we often talk about, or General Intelligence, is apparently not sufficient for you to get ahead in this world. You also need other types of intelligences, one of which is Practical Intelligence, to be really successful. Psychologist Robert J. Sternberg proposes three intelligences in human cognition:

• Analytical intelligence is the ability to analyze and evaluate ideas, solve problems and make decisions.
• Creative intelligence involves going beyond what is given to generate novel and interesting ideas.
• Practical intelligence is the ability that individuals use to find the best fit between themselves and the demands of the environment.

All of these intelligences together comprise what Sternberg calls Successful Intelligence and this is what will put you ahead of the rest of the world. I see Practical Intelligence as very important as this is what enables you to use your other intelligences to get the best advantage. Malcolm Gladwell also talks about practical intelligence in his famous book, Outliers. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find an answer to the perennial question, "what makes high-achievers different?"

WorkFlowy - Everything can be a list!

I have experimented with hundreds of note-taking and list-making apps on the web and on my iPhone but never stayed with any one for long. Simplenote was probably the best for simple text based notes and Evernote was the most versatile. But nothing was perfect and all of them lacked one feature or the other. 

Things may change though with the introduction of a new app called WorkFlowy. WorkFlowy is a simple note-taking app that makes lists based on bullets and sub-bullets. All your text in WorkFlowy is contained within one giant list that can have multiple nested sub-lists. This may seem counterproductive but real power of WorkFlowy lies in its simplicity.

Check this article on Slate.com for more praise and details.

Don't Be Afraid to Change Your Own Ideas

Here is a great piece of advice from Jeff Bezos:

"People who were right a lot of the time were people who often changed their minds. Consistency of thought is not always a positive trait. It's perfectly healthy to have an idea tomorrow that contradicted your idea today.

The smartest people are constantly revising their understanding, reconsidering a problem they thought they'd already solved. They're open to new points of view, new information, new ideas, contradictions, and challenges to their own way of thinking.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't have a well formed point of view, but it means you should consider your point of view as temporary."

Via Signal vs. Noise

The Flowchart of Life

Happiness defined in few simple steps:

From Visually.

When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right

Defining Moments: When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right by Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.

A must read book for managers faced with ethical dilemmas at work. The book discusses and brings together different philosophies and overall creates a great reference tool to examine the "Right vs. Right" situations.

Funny Project Management Quotes

"The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time, the last 10% takes the other 90%."

"Successful project management is all about spotting the projects that will succeed and shouting 'mine' and for the rest ducking and shouting 'yours'."

"A two year project will take three years, a three year project will never finish."

"A user is someone who tells you what they want the day you give them what they asked for."

"A badly defined project will take three times longer than expected, a well defined project only twice as long as expected."

"We haven't got time to work out where we're going, we're late already."

"A little risk management save a lot of fan cleaning."

"Good estimators aren't modest: if it's huge they say so."

"The person who says the project will take the longest and cost the most is the only person with a clue how to do it."

"Nothing's impossible for the person who doesn't have to do it."

"There are no good project managers - only lucky ones."

"If there's a 50% chance of something going wrong then 9 times out of 10 it will."

"The least used phrase in a project manager's vocabulary is 'I do not know'."

"The sooner you get behind schedule the more time you have to make it up."

"There is no such thing as scope creep, only scope gallop."

"If at first you don't succeed remove all evidence you ever tried."

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by."

Cloud Computing Certifications

Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK)

Cloud computing is being aggressively adopted on a global basis as businesses seek to reduce costs and improve their agility. And one of the critical needs of the industry is to provide training and certification of professionals to assure that cloud computing is implemented responsibly, and with the appropriate security controls.

The Cloud Security Alliance has developed a widely adopted catalogue of security best practices, the "Security Guidance for Critical Areas of Focus in Cloud Computing, V2.1". In addition, the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) whitepaper "Cloud Computing: Benefits, Risks and Recommendations for Information Security" is an important contribution to the cloud security body of knowledge.

The Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) provides evidence that an individual has successfully completed an examination covering the key concepts of the CSA guidance and ENISA whitepaper.

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Rackspace CloudU

CloudU is a curriculum designed for IT professionals and business leaders who want to bolster their knowledge of the fundamentals of Cloud Computing. Anyone is able to download CloudU content at any time, but professionals wishing to move to the front of the pack can earn the CloudU certificate, a formal recognition of their knowledge about Cloud Computing.

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IBM Certified Solution Architect - Cloud Computing Infrastructure V1

An IBM Certified Solution Architect - Cloud Computing Infrastructure V1 is a person who can demonstrate the design, plan, architecture and management principles of an IBM cloud computing infrastructure. They can do this with limited assistance from support, documentation or relevant subject matter experts.

Key areas of competency include:

• Demonstrate the IBM Cloud Computing concepts and design principles
• Demonstrate the ability to provide a customer with a roadmap from their current IT environment to an IBM Cloud Computing solution.
• Architect a comprehensive solution that utilizes the IBM Cloud Computing design and blueprint principles to meet the customer-s requirements.
• Demonstrate the applicability of IBM-s Cloud Management Principle: Operation Model, Service Delivery and Service Management

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IBM Certified Solution Advisor - Cloud Computing Architecture V2

An IBM Certified Solution Advisor - Cloud Computing Architecture V2 is a person who can clearly explain the benefits and underlying concepts of cloud computing. They can also demonstrate how the IBM Cloud Computing offering helps customers realize these benefits.

Key areas of competency include:

• Explain the cloud computing concepts.
• Describe how the customer can realize the benefits of cloud computing within their environment.
• Identify cloud computing architecture and design principles.
• Map customer-s requirements to the IBM Cloud Computing offerings.

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Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialist

The Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialist exam certifies IT professionals who demonstrate the fundamental skills and knowledge required to deploy, configure, and migrate to Google Apps for Business.

Candidates who pass the exam receive the Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialist certificate and badge.