Category: Analytics

Analytics, Millenials, Mobile1 Comment

Mobile, The Millennial and The Mainframe

StevenDickens3

Mobile, The Millennial and The Mainframe I recently took a quiz online that asked ‘How Millennial Are You?’* From the 15 questions I answered I received a score of 94/100- so I would say that makes me ‘very millennial’ (the mark of a millennial was a score of 73 or higher…) But what does being a millennial actually mean? Well, according to this quiz, it meant I’ve watched some TV, haven’t read a ‘physical’ newspaper in some time, have a social networking presence, and, most importantly, spend a hideous amount of time on my mobile phone. In fact, I only … Continue reading Mobile, The Millennial and The Mainframe

Analytics1 Comment

“Zed’s Dead Baby”- The relevance of the mainframe to modern computing and IT trends.

StevenDickens3

Zed’s dead, baby.” These may be the immortal words of a motorbike wielding Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction, but also some of the first words uttered to me when I made the decision to move into the System z software team. The perception of mainframe is simple: it’s a dinosaur. In a world where companies like Apple render their previous generations of hardware ‘vintage’ or ‘obsolete’ after 5 years, and release software upgrades annually and free of charge, how can the mainframe still be relevant? Equally, as the current IT landscape evolves towards mega trends such as Cloud, Mobile and Big Data, … Continue reading “Zed’s Dead Baby”- The relevance of the mainframe to modern computing and IT trends.

Analytics, z132 Comments

Converse All Stars and the Mainframe

StevenDickens3

Converse All Stars and the Mainframe I came of age during the 1960s and like most American boys, I was immersed in sports. While I played football and baseball, basketball was my true love. I worshipped heroes such as Oscar (the Big “O”) Robertson, and Wilt Chamberlain. Burned in my memory is the pure form of a Jerry West jump shot or the unstoppable nature of a Lew Alcindor sky-hook, which retained all of its lethalness even after he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I emulated everything about these Hall-of-Famers, which was somewhat difficult as I was vertically challenged … Continue reading Converse All Stars and the Mainframe