- Home
- NEWS
- REGIONAL
- THIS WEEK'S PAPER
- BLOGS
- Multimedia
- OPINION
- A&E
- LISTS
- PEOPLE
- EVENTS
- Classifieds
- Subscribe
Return on Technology columnist
Altom is a third-generation Hoosier who has been a zookeeper, electronics technician, technical writer, small-business manager, information architect, author, analyst and consultant. He has written on subjects as diverse as the appeal of big words and usability as a risk/benefit analysis. He has both an undergraduate and a master's degree from IUPUI, the latter in human-computer interaction, and has a green belt in Six Sigma. Altom teaches human-computer interaction and statistics for IUPUI. He is not a first adopter, but might eventually condescend to employ new technologies in his everyday business life, although he’s likely to remain happily grumpy about it.
E-mail: taltom@ibj.com
Follow Tim on Twitter: www.twitter.com/taltom
Recent Articles
ALTOM: Safeguarding data isn't a perfect process
June 15, 2013
The risk of a breach is inherent in almost any security approach, but there are steps you can take to diminish risk.
MoreALTOM: Get rid of hidden stuff in the Microsoft suite
June 1, 2013
The documents you share might harbor information you don't want the recipients to see.
MoreALTOM: When it comes to big purchases, don’t follow the crowd
May 18, 2013
The most popular tech product isn't necessarily the one that is best for your business.
MoreALTOM: The closing words in most emails aren't worth the trouble
May 4, 2013
Electronic communication isn't the same as a hand-written letter, so traditional sign-offs don't usually work.
MoreALTOM: CIOs are hard to find, so mentor promising candidates
April 6, 2013
A CIO has to blend business and technical skills in ways that aren’t taught to technicians.
MoreALTOM: Google disregards consequences, kills another product
March 23, 2013
Years ago, the high-tech company that drove me closest to the edge of madness was Microsoft. That firm treated its customers
as if they were lucky to have computers. But for sheer frustration, I think Google tops Microsoft.
MoreALTOM: Hire a chief information officer before it's too late
March 9, 2013
The position is meant to be more than a glorified tech support desk. It should be the office where infrastructure growth is
planned and merged with the company’s overall goals.
MoreALTOM: How safe is your storage on the cloud? Not very
February 23, 2013
The cloud is what we call the storage areas we never see except in our browsers—that online, cyberspace world that holds
our files and often our working applications.
MoreALTOM: Technology takes (some) jobs but also creates them
February 9, 2013
In the aftermath of the Great Recession, the economy continues to grow, but it’s becoming obvious that unemployment
isn’t going to nosedive the way it has after previous recessions.
MoreALTOM: Firms must think carefully about policies on devices
January 26, 2013
“BYOD” is tech-speak for “bring your own device,” and it refers to whether you want to allow employees
to transact your business using their own laptops, notebooks or smartphones, or if you want to impose your own standards and
supply what you think they should have so you keep control of the technology.
MoreALTOM: Being present at work doesn't have to mean being there
January 12, 2013
Employers have to contend with a new generation of workers who expect to work from home at least part of the time, and entirely
from home when feasible.
MoreALTOM: Just because it's new doesn't make it worth buying
December 29, 2012
If you’re one of those businessfolk who buy new gadgets just because you can, you might want to move on to the food
reviews now. I’m going to be talking today about when to upgrade devices or software.
MoreALTOM: Blessed are the tech-sector risk-takers who make the leap
December 15, 2012
This is the last column before Christmas, and in keeping with long tradition, I’m writing a year-end column about screw-ups
and techno-pratfalls that should make you glad you’re not in the hottest of hot seats.
MoreALTOM: Passwords are passe, but there's no good alternative
December 1, 2012
Even the most supposedly secure password is toast from the time you first use it, because today’s hackers have a veritable
arsenal of ways to get through or around any password scheme.
MoreALTOM: It's easy to fill gaps in business knowledge online
November 17, 2012
The online world is blossoming with education, both good and questionable. It was one of the first uses for the Web. The Web
brought technical people together to share information, and often it was in the form of a tutorial to answer the question,
“How do I get this to do that?”
MoreALTOM: Whether you're a Mac or PC person says a lot about you
November 3, 2012
Today, the two worlds cross over almost effortlessly, but the divisions between them have spawned entirely different design
and usage paradigms.
MoreALTOM: 'Mechanical Turk' puts humans to work
October 20, 2012
Most repetitive tasks can be done by computer nowadays, but many can’t.
MoreALTOM: Excel can be used as database in a pinch
October 6, 2012
Microsoft Excel has features that are reminiscent of a database, although it’s not a database application and never
will be.
MoreALTOM: What employees need to know in today's office
September 22, 2012
I’m willing to irritate my colleagues in human resources and bet that they aren’t asking all the questions they
should ask of candidates.
MoreALTOM: Who owns your data? The answer might surprise you
September 8, 2012
When you reveal information about yourself, do you still own or control it? And if you reveal something about someone else,
who owns it then?
MoreALTOM: A reminder that offices are full of low-tech hazards
August 25, 2012
Even laser pointers can be hazardous if they’re pointed right into an unprotected retina.
MoreALTOM: Death of paper has been greatly exaggerated
August 11, 2012
When I was a kid, eager futurists predicted what wonderful technologies we’d all have someday.
MoreALTOM: Web begs you to take time to waste time
July 28, 2012
I have to confess that I sometimes use technology in a way that is the exact opposite of productivity. I waste good daylight
hours using it for short bursts of enjoyment.
MoreALTOM: Online detective work can amaze and find new markets
July 14, 2012
Google Earth is one of Google’s odder and spottier applications. It started life as Keyhole, a 3-D mapping program originally
paid for by the CIA and subsequently purchased by Google in 2004.
MoreSponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT
on Facebook & Twitter
on Facebook & Twitter
 Follow IBJ's Tweets on these topics: |
||
| @IBJNews | @Propertylines | @IBJTheScore |
| @IBJArts | @IBJHealthcare | @IBJDining |
| @IBJLists | @IBJSmallbiz | |
ADVERTISEMENT
Back to TopCopyright © All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing.
Additional Hosting & Delivery by
Ameriana Bank took over Westfield Farmers Market for 2013 and it is held in their parking lot, corner of 32 and Carey road, 5 to 8. I am selling soap and candles there. great market!
B&T certainly has enough of our taxpayer dollars to do this thanks to Mayor Ballard. Given the firm's exceedingly poor reputation in the legal community, the basement would seem a better option.
Should read MAY hire 20 people.
Not a good location for a 300,000 home. 10th Street fumes, buses, noise. Max for this location 150,000.
The state constitution also does not say that the majority has a right to quorum, nor that the minority is required to allow them quorum. In fact, denial of quorum has been a parliamentary maneuver since the establishment of the first parliaments in the early 1600s. The right to deny quorum (and the requirement fore quorum) are to prevent exactly what happened in Indiana: A tyrannical majority pushing through odious, objectionable legislation. Denial of quorum is totally legitimate, and lest we forget, a tactic the GOP has employed many, many times to ensure their issues weren't given short shrift. By allowing the majority to impose "fines" on the minority for exercising the authority the constitution grants them (to deny quorum,) they are violating the constitution.