Donald Raleigh - President, Evolve Systems

Marnie's Birthday

Don — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:35:29 GMT

Today is Marnie's birthday! Pretty Amazing.

Happy Birthday Marnie!

Ah, Spring!

Don — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:39:00 GMT

Hello 2011! The winter of our discontent has passed and now our thoughts turn to baseball, picnics and seeing Mom (back from Florida. She is over 60 and by law (I am told) has to live in Florida for at least a portion of the year.)

2011 is just about 1/2 done at this point. 5 months into the year and only 584 days until 12/21/2012! (Donny and I are planning on roasting hotdogs (veggie) over an open fire in our secret lair in an undisclosed location. (Yes, we have food stored up, a generator and 5000+ rounds of sweet ammunition.) I am not sure if this will be the Zombie Apocalypse or not, but gosh I hope so.

The internet is still here, which for me is a good thing. It gives me a great platform from which to build the company and reach out to new and interesting clients.

I am very excited about all the new things going on with AmiroCMS.com. I think that 2011 is going to be a great year for CMS, and the AmiroCMS platform is awesome.

Time to get back to work. The bell just rang and for some reason I am drooling. Have to ponder that sometime.

Cheers!

It's Christmas Time, in the ....

Don — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:22:00 GMT

Today is Christmas Eve, 2010. Well, at least it is/was when I wrote this. I woke up this fine morning at about 6:15 and started working on some of my 2011 projects. I like the "break" between Christmas and New Year's Day as most normal people are out with family and friends and doing the "Holiday Shuffle" with the in-laws and such. We do the same, but at the office, during the week, it is a great time to reflect, catch up and invent new things.

This year I am going to focus on three areas that will make a significant impact on my clients and the business as a whole.

1) Backup. Backing up your computer is important, but you don't do it do you? Right now you are reading this and thinking, you know, I really should back up my computer just in case the Konscriptonator Worm eats my files. (Don't bother looking up Konscriptonator Worm, I just made it up. But, if was real, it would eat your hard drive and rotate all the images on your computer 16 degrees to the left.) Back to backups. What I am thinking here is that there are some great solutions out there for Server Level backup. NAS, SAN, HSM and others come to mind for the network and enterprise. But for the average home user, the little guy, you. What is out there? Well, over the past year Evolve Systems and I bought or subscribed to most of the personal backup systems that we could find. We spent a total of 96 hours evaluating the various systems and invested just over $2800 in subscriptions and software to test what would work the best for our customers. (And, of course, have a reseller program so that my For Profit company can stay in business!) The criteria was pretty straight forward: easy to use, simple to understand, simple to buy, simple to get your files when things go bang. The result: www.evolvevault.com. Yep, new product, new offering and swanky new website. The concept is simple: Use the cloud, back up everything, just buy 1 account. Cost: $50 per year for backup or $150 a year for backup and briefcase. Backup is just that. Backup. Briefcase: simple. Think: A USB drive on the internet. Yep. That simple. And at $50 a year for backup the only reason you will not buy it is you really like the idea of all your pictures being rotated 16 degrees to the left.

2) Amiro.CMS - Free Addition. We still have the other editions of Amiro.CMS availible, with lots of modules and great things built in, but we felt there was something missing out there. A way for our potential clients to try the system out so to speak. The free edition is going to be a way for us to reach markets that we have not been able to approach up to now. Couple this with what we are doing with Ecwid and we have a very powerful force multiplier in the market.

3) Video: We see video in 2011 as a Huge inroad to businesses. And the new system we are rolling out in 2011 is, quite frankly, awesome. I am personally going to be marketing out video solutions around the country this year, and I think that 2011 is going to be the year that businesses adopt closed community as they way to go. Eyeballs are great, but control is what businesses need. Look for more information at www.caelumen.com and www.evolvecast.com over the coming months.

Well, that is what I am doing on this wonderful, lazy Friday morning, Christmas Eve 2010. Marnie just made some fresh ground French press coffee and I am going to go and wake up the children with hot chocolate and kisses.

Merry Christmas everyone. God Bless, and try and have some fun this year!
(Donny and I just hit level 85 in World of Warcraft, so it IS going to be a great year! Whoot!)

Don

Tara Patoile

Don — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:40:00 GMT

An Interview with Tara.

The First Podcast

Don — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:51:00 GMT

A short introduction to the Podcasting capabilities of Evolve Systems.

Cool New App

Don — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:55:00 GMT

Luke over here at Evolve Systems just hooked me up with a great new product. I mean cool, like the first time you went to google.com and used it. No manual, no training. Just does exactly what the heck it says it will do.

Search.

Here is a tool that only does 1 thing. You will figure it out. If I need to explain it, that will ruin it.

http://isendr.com/

If you can not figure out what it is for, just let it go. Hey look! A squirrel!

If you can not use it because it is too complicated, shut off your computer, unplug your iPod and go outside. It is warm there. With sunshine!

Sometimes tools do what they do. I like that. They do what they do on purpose.

Have a happy day. And if you can think of something I can sell you, give me a call. I like selling things people can use.

Cheers!

Social Media and SEO

Don — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:54:00 GMT

It is absolutely amazing to me how connected we are in this world. There are literally thousands of ways that we can connect, and it is astounding that we actually do.

My Mom is now on SKYPE, my old roommate from the Army found me on Facebook, and kids I went to elementary school follow me on twitter.

Here is some quick shameless self promotion:

www.twitter.com @donaldraleigh

www.facebook.com/donaldraleigh

www.qik.com/donraleigh

www.donblog.com

www.evolve-systems.com

www.qumageltharp.com

Think about what it would take, just a few years ago, to have that type of an online presense.. And today, I manage most of it from my G1.

The Last Third

Don — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:28:38 GMT

Right now we are in the "Last Third" of 2009. As we get into the last few months of 2009 we have to start looking at winter up here in Minnesota. Just in case you are not from around here, we do some pretty strange things about this time of year. We pull out plastic storage containers that are full of winter coats, cloths and various "layers" of things we put on just to be able to walk out doors. We remove these things from the containers and replace them with our summer cloths. Here in Minnesota we spend quite a bit on what we wear. Not for fashion reasons, but survivial reasons. It is sort of like a minor holiday. The kids get excited because they see cloths that they have not worn in almost 6 months, so the old becomes new again. And, it is the time where we try adn decide what still fits, what needs to be replaced, and what can be handed down or donated. We do this twice a year, but the transition from summer to winter is the hardest for me. It means that summer is ending, and winter is on the way. Here in Minnesota, that means cold.

Not much else to say right now, just wanted to comment on the changes going on. Try and stay warm!

And if you need a website, give me a call. I would be happy to chat about how Evolve Systems could help.

Those Crazy Google People

Don — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:51:00 GMT

Those Crazy Google People are at it again. I was just invited into the Google Voice beta. And they have some really cool tools that you can use on your G1. (Well, my G1 that is.)

Like this one:

Need to blog more!

Don — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:00:00 GMT

I really need to start blogging more. So many things going on though, it is tough.

Right now, I wanted to test a new application (well, new to me) from google.com.

Holy End Of Days Batman

Don — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:40:00 GMT

Ok, lot's of people are surprised that it is 2009. I am one of them. Just last week, back in 2008, I was thinking that this year was going a bit faster then other years. Sure enough, I was right. Checked with the International Keepers of Time, and they happily told me that this year we would be adding an extra second to the year 2008.

The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, based at the Paris Observatory, tells the world every six months whether to add or subtract a second from atomic clocks, the standard for everyday timekeeping.

A leap second is added to Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) to keep it in step with solar time - based on the Earth's rotation on itself - to within a second. Tidal friction causes the Earth's rotation to slow down, which means that solar time tends to drift out of sync with atomic clocks.

If this disparity was not corrected, the "error" could increase to several seconds within a few decades; and, claim astronomers, eventually make some of their software and possibly hardware obsolete.

There have been 22 leap seconds added - and no subtractions - since the first one on 30 June, 1972.

That led me to ponder what I would do with the extra second that I was given. Wanting not to waste this new found minute, I decided that I would take that moment and open up to the entire world and share my complete love for all things. The second came and went. I loved everything, and now we are back to normal. Imagine if the "powers that be" gave us a full extra day?

(Marnie just informed me that there is such a thing as Leap Year, and that I need to work harder on that day.)

Where the Internet is going. (!) or (?)

Don — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:16:00 GMT

One of the things that I have been pondering lately is where the Internet is going, and what are we going to do with it? If we look at other innovations over the course of our history on this particular ball of mud there are some good examples that we can observe that might shed some light on what the Internet might be.

Pondering Telephones:
If we look at telephones and how they developed, and what they meant and still mean, it is interesting to look at how we have come to rely on them. My mother recently moved into a new house. While on the face of things, that is not a huge event, but one thing that she did (or did not do, in this case) was to not order a telephone. No "land line" at all. She decided that since she has a cell phone, and most of us who love her know her number, she did not need to add yet another number for us to have to remember. The added benefit is that the cell phone goes with her and has voice mail. Why should she tie herself down with a number that only goes to 1 place? (And the funny part is she does not like the fact that traditional telephones that are installed in the home do not have text messaging. Think about that for a moment...) This whole thing is funny from the stand point that growing up we had a rotary phone. (and we were on a party line. I am getting old.) So using my mother as an example I draw the conclusion that the phone was not the thing she needed, the contact with her family and friends is. Strange to think that in one lifetime she progressed from early adoption (operator based phones) to completely mobile (cell phone).

Pondering Faxes:
We have a fax machine here at Evolve Systems. And we use it all the time. We jot down notes and contracts and send them over the telephone to others who are in our same position. I have been told that we do this in many cases for legal reasons. It is not a "signed contract" if we get an e-mail from a client. But if we get a fax? Take that to the bank! We moved to all IP based phones at our office for many reasons. Silly part is we "had to" keep 1 phone line so that we could use the fax machine. I do not see a way "out" from using faxes right now, but it is interesting to ponder them once in a while.

Pondering where we are going:
Communication. I think that is the root of where we are going. My mom needs her cell phone. My sales staff need the fax. I installed satellite internet at my cabin in northern Minnesota so that I could check e-mail and program websites. Access and communication. Location really does not matter to my job any more. I could be writing this from a plane, a Tibetan monastery or from my basement in Minnesota. The future of the Internet is, in my opinion, all about merged connectivity. My mom moved from being tied to a telephone in her home to taking her phone with her. Once we move away from being tied to a single computer in an office, and the programs on said machine, then what need do we have for the office? If everything I needed was located on the Internet, all my files, programs and "stuff", then I would be free to choose my location to do work. That is where the Internet is going. Everywhere. It will not be about taking the Internet with us, but rather, the Internet will be everywhere we are.

Blogging about Blogs

Don — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:54:00 GMT

I am speaking at the AAM tomorrow at their monthly meeting. I started to think about my topic, This is Not Your Father's Internet, and part of what I am discussing will cover blogs, and what they can do for a company. Got me courious, so I started to look at what blogging has done for me, my company, and interestingly, my name. (In this case, Donald Raleigh)

I will admit it, I am vain. I have googled my own name in the past and discovered an obscure article that talked about me on the Blaine Park Board, on page 26 of google. (Yes, I spent some quality time looking that far for my own name...) Since I stated this blog I have moved up to the number four spot on Google.com. I am not going to claim that I am an SEO guru, there are plenty of people out there who claim that, or are. What I am surprised about is the way that Google.com looks at all the sites that are out there and then really does the ranking. If you look at this blog, there is frankly not a lot here. But, it does have my name, in context, and on point.

So, my point is, if you use the tools correctly there are some great things that you can do with the technology, especially if you stay on point and on message with what you are trying to promote.
To see if other blogs are talking about you, use this tool: blogsearch.google.com.

Have a nice day.

Much ado about almost nothing

Don — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:09:00 GMT

There is a crisis, and we are bring warned about it on an everyday basis at this point. News articles, press releases and very earnest looking reporters who fret about the way that the economy is looking. Down turn. Negative shift. Crisis. We have been here before, and we will be here again. The pain points typically come from an over eager public wanting to spend money that they do not have, so they borrow, or build. Looking at the way that the housing market is going is a lesson is patience. I think that there are 2 lessons here to learn from, and they are well illustrated by two examples.

Example 1: The Over Buying Home Debtor.

Most of us look at the people who live in non-rental properties as Home Owners. This is not the case. Most people living in non-rental homes do not own the home, they own the debt and little else. The home foreclosures of recent months support this theory. With a steady economy the housing market begins to grow and our thoughts turn to buying "up" to that better house, that better neighborhood and that better "better" just for the sake of more. When credit is easy and the loan officers are eager, this is a recipe for liberal loans. The fly in the ointment here, it seems to me, were the Adjustable Rate Mortgages, or ARMs. An ARM is a great tool, when used properly, but is not a good tool for the average person. An ARM should be used for leveraging a non-liquid financial situation to bridge the period between investment maturations. More on that at some other point. An ARM is not typically a wise use of a financial tool for the individual borrower who has no training in financial matters beyond balancing their checkbook and paying down a 30 year mortgage. The lure of the ARM is in More House for My Buck illusion. This specter of getting more for less soon materializes as deferred interest payments that come crashing upon the wallets of those who do not know how to navigate away from a non-liquid cash position. But the banks and the lenders will seldom explain this process. Thus, individuals who think that they are getting more, and becoming owners, are in fact just increasing their long term debt position. This means, in the long run, they will pay more in interest, save less, have less investment potential and eventually sacrifice retirement savings to try and dig out. Not a good way to plan for long term nest egg growth.

I am watching with interest the "new" offering by some institutions the 40 year mortgage.

Example 2: The Broken Mortgage Broker.

In an upside economy with high liquidity and seemingly low risk even the least savvy mortgage broker can look, and earn, like a superstar. The economy is currently exacting a Darwinian price on the careers of the untested and unprepared broker. I know of several firms that are going out of business due to lack of sales and they are blaming it all on the economy. Every economy cycles. That is they way things work. It is the tested broker that has the ability to pilot through the storms of change. It reminds me a great deal of the Dot Com bust of the 90's. Lots of young kids with seemingly great ideas on the way that the Internet would change the world, if only they could secure the venture capitol. And it come, in bushel baskets. The problem with the idea generators was that they were not seasoned by cycles, had not navigated through a down market and most importantly in my mind, were not trained to work with investment boards and the high demands of investors in whose money they were now encumbered. It was easy to have "the idea", but a difficult matter to continue to execute after the first market test. So they, just as the brokers of today, went bang.

To counter this I have see a good example of a well thought out long term strategy would be found in Lynn Rogers and the approach she takes with her business. She warns of the coming dangers, and offers insight into the ways that individuals should look at structuring their debt load and payment structures.

Patience. It is terribly hard thing to delay gratification. As Mr. Morrison of The Doors was once heard say, "We want the world and we want it now." I believe that we are suffering through the adolescence of indulgence in our economy. We will cycle back and then start it all over again. But those who plan for the down turns, who recognize the difference between owning something real, like an estate, and owning debt, will be far better served through patience and careful investing. Or, they will be left to fret and make much ado about nothing.

Congress Passes 7 year extention on Internet Tax Ban

Don — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:41:00 GMT

PC World reports:
"The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a seven-year extension to an Internet tax ban, the final step before the legislation heads to President George Bush to be signed into law.

The House on Tuesday approved the Senate version of the Internet tax moratorium, which would ban Internet-only taxes such as access taxes for seven years. The current ban has been in effect since 1998, except for a lapse during most of 2004."

Personally I think that this is very good thing. We are truly engaged in a global economy, and the thought of trying to tax pure Internet transactions just does not make sense, yet... Where you have a brick and morter location, such as we have here in Minnesota, then you have established the fact that your company is doing business in Minnesota and your corporation exists as a corporate body at the pleasure of the State. For this, I fully support the need to pay corporate taxes.

In the case of Internet only transactions that are outside of Minnesota, or your state, then you are not obligated to pay taxes, the recipient of the goods is responsible for reporting this transaction and for paying any taxes, if applicable. We know a little bit about this here at Evolve. In 2007 we were audited by the State of Minnesota for Sales and Use tax. Our auditor did a fine job of going through all our books and did discover 1 transaction where we shipped a taxable item to a particular zip code that did not have our normal 6.5% tax. This location had a 7.45% tax due to some very local entertainment taxes. The fine was $1.74. Yes, that is correct. The State of Minnesota audited us, spent all that time, all that effort, as did Evolve, and for their efforts recovered a total of $1.74. Not bad for a few days work.

The reason that I mention the above is to illustrate that we are very familiar around here with how the Sales and Use tax system works, at least how it works in Minnesota. So, to look at a National Tax, which is what an Internet tax would have to be, would only compound the issues from the standpoint of taxation.

And then think about items from Canada or Mexico or Belize being shipped to Minnesota, or the other way. Who would be responsible and how would the taxes be collected? I assume that the government would figure out some way to totally mess things up. Which is why I think that they decided to wait for another 7 years to figure it out.

I for one am happy that they decided to do so. But that does not mean that for the next 7 years they won't be scheming on how to best implement a "Fair Internet Tax Act" (FITA) Watch for it.

Cheers.

What I am doing here

Don — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:23:00 GMT

I have been working with computer systems and networked devices for some time now, and I started to think that perhaps the best way to capture some of the experiences that I have had would be to start a Blog or a Podcast that would give me a medium to share my thoughts.
And then along came the Blogcast. A simple combination of both worlds.
It is my intent to update this site once in a while with information that I think might be useful, or things that I want to make sure I capture and place somewhere I can find them.
Have a wonderful day.