Sunday, May 31, 2009

Packy Hyland Sr.

I’d like to express my condolences to the family and friends of Packy Hyland Sr. who passed away last week at the too young age of 67.

I first ran into Packy at a meeting of the John Carroll University Private Sector Group back in 1990. He knew I was in tech and asked me a few questions about what I thought of this idea his kids had for a business.

Later he stood up at the meeting and said that his kids had an idea for a business and they thought it would be a big success. He (self-deprecatingly) said he didn’t understand it 100% but they thought it would be big. He asked the group for our opinions and support.

Of course, Hyland Software has become the most successful software story in the region. Sure the products and culture are terrific but the quality of the people, like Packy and his family, are what made Hyland succeed.

I’d run into Packy at events several times each year and he always had a good word and an interest in what would happen next. He could have easily rested on his Hyland Software laurels but he stayed active in working on new ventures. It was in his blood.

I last saw Packy when he stopped in at my church (St. Philomena’s in East Cleveland) for Mass one weekend. I was surprised to see this Westsider in my neighborhood but Packy was always trying new things. We had a good chat about business and life and went our separate ways.

I will miss these meetups with Packy. He was truly one of a kind. Heaven just got themselves a heck of an entrepreneur and a heck of a guy.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Get Well Bobby 'Bingo' Smith


Bobby ‘Bingo’ Smith is one of only 6 Cleveland Cavaliers to have his number retired and hanging from the rafters at The Q. The Cavaliers retired his jersey on Dec. 4, 1979.
Bobby Smith, played 10 seasons and over 700 games with the Cavaliers, helping to shape and mold the young expansion team into playoff contenders.

Bingo’ sweet rainbow jumpers were often the highlight of many dismal games for the young team. Fans will remember announcer Joe Tait’s cry of “Bingo!” after another swish from Smith.

In the “Miracle of Richfield” season, Bingo was a key piece of that scrappy team. In Washington for Game 2, Smith scored a team-leading 17 points and made the game-winning shot with just seconds remaining to secure the 80-79 victory. The win served as the first playoff victory for the franchise and propelled the Cavaliers past the Bullets and into the Eastern Conference Finals.

“Bingo” ranks in the top 10 all time in franchise history in nine different categories [Games Played (2nd), Field Goals Made (2nd), Field Goals Attempted (2nd), Minutes Played (3rd), Points Scored (4th), Assists (10th), Free Throws Made (10th) and Free Throws Attempted (10th)].

Recently, Bingo Smith has been fighting some health problems.
We want him to know that the Cleveland fans support him and wish him the best.

We will be at FanFest at the Q Saturday night before the game with a giant card for you to sign. You can also appear on a video greeting to #7.
If you can’t make it to the Q, please send us your messages and we will get them to Bingo.


Cards can be mailed to
Bingo
3150 Payne Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44114

Or you can send them via e-mail to qa@clevelandseniors.com

Or join the Facebook page (get Well Bingo Smith)

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Memorial Day Cookout for Geeks


You have to love this special grill accessory for bean counters, geeks and their ilk. See another at GreatLakesGeek.com

Friday, May 15, 2009

Always be prepared

That's the boy scout motto. Of course I was not a boy scout so things happen.
For example, I was at the terrific CWRU CollabTech last week.

At the lunch keynote there was a small cake on each table. Also a baggie with a candle, book of matches and a note not to do anything till asked.

Near the end of the keynote, speaker Larry Johnson had us all light the cakes and everyone sang Happy Birthday to CWRU CIO Lev Gonick, host of CollabTech.

Johnson sprung the announcement pretty fast so by the time I fumbled around and got my videocam out, I only caught the end of the song.



See more from the event

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Horse Fest 2009

There's a lot to do this weekend but one of the coolest things is HorseFest 2009 at Lake Metroparks Farmpark.



Horses, contests, horses, demonstrations, horses, saddle demos, horses, jumping competition - and horses!

Not bad for a few miles outside the city in Kirtland.

Details of HorseFest 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Best and Worst countries for Mothers

An organization called Save the Children has been reporting for 10 years on the best and worst countries for mothers.

I expected the US to be in the top 2 or 3 but unfortunately we don't because of our high infant mortality rate. The US ranks # 27!

The Mothers' Index ranks the best and most difficult places to be a mother among 158 countries. Among the top 10 best places: Sweden ranks first, followed by Norway, Australia, Iceland, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.

Among the bottom 10 places: Niger ranks last, followed by Sierra Leone, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Sudan, Angola, Eritrea and Djibouti.

Check out more details

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Snow Bunnies in new Convention Center

It's refreshing to hear some new and innovative ideas. Jim Gilmore offers several for Cleveland in his interview with Team Geek columnist Tim Zaun.

For example, he says, "What we ought to do is invent the world's first convention center specifically designed to host winter events. Never-been-seen-before outdoor meeting space ought to created, ice bars ought to be integrated, venue-issued parkas provided, sled rides from one level to another built into the place, and so on. Make meeting planners want to come here in January for the wonderful winter-based experience. "

I love it!

Or how about, "I'd like to see us re-think Public Square. It's been cleaned up but needs a Wow. Think something radically different, like hiring Jon Jerde to enclose it under some uniquely designed dome."

Cool! Check out some more ideas

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Do you get Twitter?

There are two kinds of people out there - those who get Twitter and those who don't.

It's easy for someone to grasp the usefulness of a social network like LinkedIn or Facebook but a lot of people have a problem understanding the value of frequent 140 character messages on Twitter.

So I asked Jason Therrien of Thunder::Tech about Twitter and he gives some good advice in this podcast.

Like you should only tweet with about the same frequency that you eat each day. 3-4 times. Listen to some more good ideas.

BTW, you can follow me at Twitter at

http://twitter.com/DanHanson for general stuff

http://twitter.com/greatlakesgeek for techie/science biz stuff and

http://twitter.com/clevelandpeople for info about the many different cultural groups and heritages we have in town.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Barbecue for Bean Counters

You know they type. Maybe you are that type. CPA's and other bean counters sometimes just can't relax - even while camping or at a summer barbecue.

Now they can order up a special grill accessory.



More Geek Fun