Dilemma

I'm stuck. I can't for the life of me figure out if I should include a value chain analysis and / or a PEST analysis in the thesis?

The more I read about the value chain, the less I understand. Basically, it's a model for assessing how value is created within a firm - I get that. But what to include? Porter's original includes everything with regards to a given firm...but I don't think this will help me? What I would like to do, would be to use a simplified value chain - to show the number of steps from basic input to the end user? Something like this:

(you'll probably have to view it larger)

I've pretty much decided to forego the PEST analysis: the political factors do not play any role in the market (except for the price on subscriber lines bundled in with the DSL solutions - but that's another story, imho?), and the economic, social and technological aspects would, at best, be guesswork on my part: no energy to go out and find sources at this point. Just want to wrap it all up for a to-go order. :-)

Any thoughts / ideas, oh cream-of-the-crop, über-amazing readers...? ;-)

Burning the midnight oil...

It's crunch time. Have had to enlist the help of an old friend:




...aaaand it's not helping. Need sleeeep. Back tomorrow - stay tuned...

*lights out*

Minor setback

One of my good friends (ph.d. nerd who specialises in innovation) has been kind enough to read through my thesis (well, the first 50 pages anyway), and (un?)fortunately, she's eerily sharp...resulting in me having to seriously revamp / reconsidder some things. So as for being done Friday...fugeddaboutit. New deadline: Monday (so long, weekend, and thanks for all the fish...).

A nice image helps things go down more easily...so here's one that's funny, but a little horrible (Windows = euch!):

Anyone spot the acronym...? *grins*

Can almost smell it now...

I've lost count a little, but I think I've only got something like 8 pages left until I reach critical mass for the thesis...?!? The present plan is to be done writing this Friday - a good 6 days before impending fatherhood (as set by Danish health authorities). If I make it - and I'm actually starting to believe I will? - I will have written my thesis in just two months. No idea how it happened, but there you have it.

Nonsense - I know perfectly well how it happened: up at 7 am 7 days a week, then confine myself in front of the computer until 8-9-10-11-12pm/1-2pm, go to sleep, repeat next day. For two months. And I know I could have done it faster, seeing as I have not been...ahem...100% efficient with my time (hello Flickr!). But I believe a thesis is a process as much as anything else, and I don't think I could have done it any faster? But I'm well pleased with the whole event.

And to you wonderful, unthick, curious souls out there: the subject of the thesis is

How should Danish Telcos face the advent of VoIP?

Pure and simple. I believe Danish Telcos are in serious trouble unless they get their fingers out asap. VoIP providers are cropping up like mushrooms, and incumbent Telcos seem to think analogue, PSTN-telephony is an unending source of income = they have no intentions of lowering their prices. They should considder adapting to this new technology's entry onto the market, if they don't want to learn the hardway.

There - a thesis summary in 65 words. Hurrah! :-)

PS: Audiolathe - any progress on the Podcasts...? ;-)

Just passed the 70% mark!

Thesis is now past 70% done - took a spurt today, flying 4,5 pages off in no time?! So hit the "magic" 50-page mark, which leaves less than 20 pages to go. But 20 pages is still a mouthful, so I'd best get back to business.

Just keeping you in the loop. :-)

Esteem-slump

Feel extremely unhappy with self today. Don't feel like I'm worth knowing. No job, no work done on the thesis this weekend, still not happy with the mirror-image, and (apparently?!?) no self-discipline to do anything about the last three... :-( To top this off, I have a throat infection (don't follow link if you're squeamish), so it's just my week.

But I guess there's only one thing to do: change it.

"Loosers always whine about doing their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom-queen!"

Thanks Sean - needed that.



Oh - and Happy Easter to those of you who chase bunnies... :-)

It's official

Finally, the good people in Cupertino have lost their marbles. I don't know whether to laugh or cry? Feels like my Mac, for so many years dear to me because I was free of windows vira, malware, pop-ups and other trash, has been...violated? *sighs* But hey well: you can't stop evolution, so...viva la revolucion?

I'll be fine, don't worry. Just have to live with the fact that my Mac is no longer "special"... :-(

Amsterdam

by Coldplay

Come on, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
If I, if I'd only waited
I'd not be stuck here in this hole

Come here, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
And I swear, I waited and waited
I've got to get out of this hole

But time is on your side, its on your side, now
Not pushing you down, and all around
It's no cause for concern

Come on, oh my star is fading
And I see no chance of release
And I know I'm dead on the surface
But I am screaming underneath

And time is on your side, its on your side, now
Not pushing you down, and all around
No it's no cause for concern

Stuck on the end of this ball and chain
And I'm on my way back down again
Stood on the edge, tied to the noose
Sick to the stomach

You can say what you mean
But it won't change a thing
I'm sick of the secrets

Stood on the edge, tied to the noose
And you came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose

Somber text, but his voice combined with the instrumental arrangements...amazing. Just amazing. Would gladly host mp3 for all to download, but a) 's illegal, and b) host would kill me and my account = no good. So go search the web, or bite the bullet at iTunes or something. If nothing else, have a preview-listen? It really is that good.

Sux

Didn't get the second job either... Maybe my inherent optimism got the better of me, but I was thinking I'd at least get an interview? But on the other hand, maybe they just had an internal pow-wow, and chose another candidate. Blows either way.

But the ray of hope in these shenanigans is the fact that they wrote in my rejection-mail: "We are sorry that you didn't get this job, but on the upside, we already see that we will need to hire additional staff within the next 2-3 months. In that capacity, we would like to keep your application on hand, with regards to evaluating it against the coming openings." - I'm assuming that "hold on to your application"-thing is standard, HR, "let-em-down-easy" BS, but I see hope in the fact that they're telling me they need more people within the next 2-3 months - to me, this is information they did not need to impart, and as such, a genuine expression of goodwill? Who's with me??? *grins*

Oh well - they can't keep me down! *smiles* To me, this whole job-application-thing is a lot like dating a girl who is potentially out of your league: you have to seem aloof and only just reachable, while on the inside you're screaming:

PICK ME! PICK ME! OHH PICK ME!
- I'm asking you with my brain!!!

Unfortunately, I was never really good at this. Hell, let's be honmest: I always sucked at this! I was the kind of guy who said, straight up and off the bat "I like you - I think we should see more of each other?"

Apparently, this approach can't be all bad though: look who I ended up with... :-)

Oh well - no more speculating I guess? So it's back to Mr Thesis, my old arch-nemesis... :-P

All's well that continues well

After about an hour, I reached the same conclusion Famous Amos did in her comment to the last post, swallowed pride, stupidity and oafishness, went upstairs to my wife, and told her I was a klutz, but that I had just been so angry? And that of course I would not let this schmuck get between the two of us as well - it's enough that he's almost gotten to her parents + fucked her sister up as well! No need to give him 3-in-a-row... *grins*

She warmed to me slowly, then we kissed and made up, and I fed her ice cream. It's amazing the loops and rolls married life will put you through - you go from thinking "divorce is just 'round the corner!" to thinking "oh my God, she really is the most wonderful woman on this entire planet...!" But to quote the great man himself:

That's life
That's what all the people say
You're riding high in april
Shot down in may
But I know I'm gonna change that tune
When I'm back on top in June

I've been a puppet, a pauper,a pirate, a poet
A pawn and a king
I've been up and down and over and out
And I know one thing
Each time I find myself flat on my face
I pick myself up and get back in the race

- Frank Sinatra, "That's Life"

So yeah - back in the saddle. Another hickup overcome. And for each hickup, we grow stronger, for every challenge faced, we are more closely entwined. And it's only been just over 3 years...in the end, they'll have to pry us apart...*smiles*

Thanks for your comments Amos - you are indeed a wise, redheaded pixie... (((hugs))) Ironically (?), iTunes is serving me Peter Gabriel "I Grieve", from the City of Angels soundtrack as I write this? There's no grief here - just a sense of elatedness that I managed to do "the right thing". I've made sacrifices for her, and will continue to do so. You're right Amos: it's what marriage, nay, life is about!

Hugs to all - posters and lurkers alike...*grins*

Loyalty?

I find that it is my right to say that I do not want to see her sister's husband. I find it comes to me very naturally - I don't want to spend time with him, or her family when he's around, because everything suddenly seems so fake and phoney. So we had another go today - Christmas came up again - and I, in the heat of the moment, continued to hold to my course, and said that if she chose to celebrate Christmas in OUR home, and allow HIM in, then I would go and spend Christmas with my parents.

For the life of me, I can't figure out if I really would, but it somehow irked me - pushed my buttons - that she would so readily allow him entry into our home, when she is vehement about her Dad doing the same, effectively overruling her Mom, who does not want to see the schmuck in her house either?

But what really stung, was that I got the impression that her loyalty is towards her family more than it is towards me. And that really hurt, because I put her first. I would cut off all contact with my family, if it came to that, in order to be with her. That sounds harsh, but to me, that's what marriage is? You commit to each other, and only each other, for as long as you both shall live. It's you and her, together, for the duration of your life.

Am I wrong here? Am I the bad guy? Jury, again, is still out. But I feel...justified? - in my anger? I feel I am entitled to it? And I feel I am entitled to her loyalty, damnit? - I should be the top priority!

So I walked out - well, into the basement - to stew. She's upstairs in the livingroom. We'll see if we manage to find comon ground tonight, or if I'll be spending the night on the couch.

Stay tuned folks... :-P

Fallout day

Major fallout with the girl today. Over her side of the family. Or: fallout is probably not the right word. We had a somber, sober discussion about her sister and her sister's husband, and what I think her family should do to them. The spark was dinner tonight: her parents have invited me and the girl + the girl's sister along with hubby and kid for dinner tonight at their place...and I just couldn't do it. So I played the thesis-card, and said that I would not attend, as I was too busy with the thesis, but that they should go ahead and have a good time without me.

Seriously: an entire evening of sitting around the crystal glasses and silver cutlery, all fake smiles and fake pleasantry, and so many items on that table that could be used to stab the guy in the nose. I just couldn't do it? As a diplomat-kid, with The Stepfather from hell, I've played my share of stiff upper lip - and my limit was reached today. I can't stand the (disfunctional) "family" currently living upstairs, and I want nothing to do with them.

The girl asked me what this means, and if this is going to be my standpoint from now on? I said it meant that I would do any and every thing in my power to avoid spending time with the fuckers, and that yes: this is my standpoint. She asked if this meant that she could no longer attend her family's birthdays, weddings, baptisms, Christmas, etc? I said she was free to - but that I would not attend. As long as this guy is there, I wan't no part of it. It becomes so...fake? And I need real right now, in the worst possible way.

She then asked if I couldn't see that what I was really doing was punishing her parents, and not the people I really want to mess with? The jury's still out on that one. Her parent's, in my humble opinion, are punishing themselves: they should have cut any ties to the wench long ago, and left them to sail their own destiny. Would have been healthier for everyones mental state? But they're afraid to cut her off now, because she's so fucking weak! And she really is - she's so frail she might as well be made of glass? And this is going to sound heartless, but guess what?

I don't give a shit.

I'm about to become a father. Yeah - someone is going to call me Dad shortly, and that is my primary focus. Any and every thing that distracts me from that, or who takes away from what mental stamina I have, will not fit in my life. Simple as that. I have a "protector-gene" the size of Asia, and with Daddy-dom fast approaching, it's starting to throw its weight around... This means no more lies, no more bullshit, and no more Mr Nice Guy.

Yes: I realize this sounds like I'm on some righteous crusade, out for vengeance. But I'm not. I'm just not about to sit idly by and watch this family become FUBAR. Well, more than they already are anyway? And as far as my absenteeism from tonights dinner party: I just know my mother-in-law is insanely jealous of me right now. She can't stand the guy, and if her husband would let her, she would forbid him entry into her home! And I can totally understand her. But while she's to weak to fight her husband on the issue, I'm willing to take them all on: I'm looking out for number one - me - and it's a good thing too, 'cause it doesn't seem like anyone else is? Well - not on this subject anyway?

Damn.

Since when did I become such a bitter, old guy? Maybe I'm just projecting my stepdad-hatred onto the closest, most threatening father-figure available? But I just can't help it - he's just so...unlikeable? But in all honesty, it's his wife I can't stand. SO until I find a way to bug them as much as they're bugging me, I'm goint to abstain from their company.

Dixi.