After months of planning and managing schedules, travel, egos and issues, tomorrow kicks off the SWG A/R analyst briefing.  The top honcho’s from SWG and the top analysts from the industry will get together for the next two days to dive deep into the strategy, products, past, present and future of both IBM and the industry.

No one pulls punches, we give ourselves, the competition and sometimes the analysts a going over.  They in turn give us the hard questions, fair is fair.

One interesting dynamic for me here in the peanut gallery is that Steve Mills is the king of SWG.  Normally, the other brand leaders of various levels are the star of their show, but at this meeting, there is only one leader….and all know it.  The respect for hierarchy is very interesting after watching the lieutenants order the troops around, until the general shows up.

I’m bringing my camera and hope to share the goings on.

For me, it’s going to be all about SaaS.  We have a strategy, and it’s competitive.  It will be the topic of interest for a Chat with the Experts session as well as a GM breakout session that the partnering group is hosting.  It will also be in the Lotus session.

For now, it’s off to the airport, I’ll be checking in later this week to report back.

As I type this, the Season 7 Trailer is little more than 23 hours away. I am holding the writers hostage for a real plot this year.

The actual season has been delayed by the wild fires as shooting on the Marine Base El Toro had to be postponed. I wonder where the Marines fit into the plot?

I’m also hoping Kiefer Sutherland can stay sober while driving so they can finish the season.

Update: here is the trailer

I found that most of the podcasts on iTunes fell into the 90% of Sturgeon’s Law. By chance from my NewsGator feed, I found a really good review podcast of 24 via Slate.com.

“You’re cursed Jack, everything you touch one way or another winds up dead”

I first noticed this connection when I realized my obsession for 24 was a lot like my obsession for Star Trek. It got reinforced as all my trekkie friends are also 24 fans.

This year, we have DS9’s Dr. Bashir as muslim terrorist Assad.

If that weren’t enough, now we have First Contact’s (and TOS) Zephram Cochran as Jack’s Father.

Then it occurred to me that the 24 episodes are multi-layered. For example, Jack’s bad guy brother Graem was in Season 5 as one of the Blue Tooth boys, but we didn’t know it was his brother till this year. My favorite Star Trek movies are ones based on actual episodes where the character is further developed - Space Seed/The Wrath of Khan; Metamorphosis/First Contact.

Maybe there is something to this?

We haven’t got time, dammit, drop your weapon it’s Talk like Jack Bauer Day.

How to act on Talk Like Jack Bauer Day
-Make sure to yell very simple requests.
-Take a helicopter to work.
-Issue threats that involve family members and/or body parts.
-Always mention that you’re running out of time.

-Start each conversation with “I’m federal agent (your name)

I’m taking a break from technology to talk about 24. Jack will face a new threat, and have to figure out how to stop terrorists once again.

I haven’t had much enthusiasm for TV lately as most of it is krap, but I was watching some football this weekend and when he trailers for 24 came on, I was ready for action. Lot’s of other shows are trying to copy this formula, but there is nothing like the original.

Jack kicks butt, defeats bad guys, is good at interrogation, a deadly shot with a hand gun, uses martial arts in hand to hand combat….what’s not to like. Best of all, we are in a world where we fight terrorism daily from irrational groups, and 24 reflects this. Go away Will and Grace wimps, it’s time for real TV men to save the day.

I’ve even subscribed to two 24 podcasts. The first 24Cast is a hoot, 4 guys drinking and talking about the show.. and it gets funny. 24 the Podcast is more serious and gets into some details I missed.

Can’t wait for January 14th.

Update: 24 the podcast is no more. I had to unsubscribe from 24cast because of krap for content and professing communism as a belief.

My last moving detail was to bring over the fish tank, without killing any fish. This required having them be in a bucket of water for the trip between old and new house. I carefully placed it next to me to avoid any issues, and anticipating the call asking when I’d get home, I got out my cell phone.

I’m sure you can figure out the rest…one quick stop, and cell phone goes for a swim with the fish. Since there was crummy coverage where I live, I switched from Nextel to Sprint to finish out my contract. But I had the Jack Bauer, season 5/Habib Marwan season 4 special which is now a paperweight. Instead, I have a used basic phone to get me to the end of my contract without the extra charges they kill you with.

This is the second phone to take a swim for me, the other went into the bilge in my boat. It didn’t survive either. My son says they need to invent a phone that’s waterproof and Dadproof.

There are times that it is good to clear your head, just so you can focus.  I rarely get to watch TV anymore (not that it clears my head, but it does keep me from obsessing about work), but I’m a fan of 24.  So here is the link to season six of 24.

Most disapointing to me is that the whole business of the Chinese capturing and interrogating, torturing, umm politely questioning Jack will not be explored.  Way to wimp out.
I like this show because like life, there are good guys and bad guys, and we have to deal with situations that confront us.

My favorite TV obsession show, 24 is now being slated for a movie.

This is either good or bad depending on how they do it of course.  The show is compelling because everything is compressed into an hour per episode, so we must assume/accept some things and read between the lines due to time.  Stretching it out allows for more travel between places, more detail (not always a good or interesting thing) and maybe we’ll finally get to see if Jack Bauer actually eats, sleeps or goes to the bathroom.

What I wonder is if it will go back into time where there were some really great characters and villains that would make for a gripping plot enhancement.  Remember the plot is good guys vs. terrorists trying to use weapons of mass destruction (so far we’ve had nukes, chemical weapons and deadly viruses).   President Palmer was great, Nina Myers was someone to really hate…..and so on.
Let’s not forget the pseudo 24 movie - The Sentinel staring Keifer Sutherland and Michael Douglas (I’m not linking to that loser) recently that made as big a splash as a small wave at Waimea Bay, Hawaii. (non surfers, it goes 20 feet high in the winter).

Most movies of TV shows are crappola, like more than half of the Star Trek movies, and I’m a major Trekkie.   Let’s hope for the best.

….on last night’s episode. 107 on a Russian went down to centox nerve gas (a hidden container not previously accounted for), one American officer on the same sub and 12 special forces agents.

Next week is the 2 hour finale, and since the bad guys have 12 multiple warhead missles and are terrorists, Jack will have to save the world from wmd’s and terrorism in 120 minutes….

I’m betting on Jack. JUST DO IT….