Monday - 3 July 2000
Microsoft.NOT InfoWorld's Bob Metcalf, in this week's column here, confirms two things I've been saying about Microsoft. 1. They are a company in decline. And 2., their .NET strategy is closer to 19th century technology rather than 21st (or perhaps 22nd before it ships, if ever).
Remember Kane'ohe Bay. This just doesn't have the same ring as remember Pearl Harbor. But the base located on the Windward side of O'ahu may have been the place where the first US casualties occurred on December 7, 1941. Most people are aware that Japanese mini-subs were probably the first to fire upon US forces (or at least be fired upon by US forces), but few know that Japanese airplanes hit multiple targets on O'ahu. Including what is now the Kane'ohe Marine Corps Base Hawai'i. At that time, it was a Naval base which housed 36 PBY-5s used for long-range reconnaissance. The morning paper (see the story here and note that the link will change at the end of the day) tells of some archaeologists who are trying to recover some of those PBYs that are sitting at the bottom of the bay.
Independence Day. July 4th is not only our country's birthday, but also the birthday of my marriage to my wife. And so, as we did last year, we are renting a room at a Waikiki hotel situated to have the best view of the annual fireworks show on Magic Island (near Ala Moana park). We will be staying there today through Thursday. So I will probably not have another post until Thursday afternoon or so.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July everyone!
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Tuesday - 4 July 2000
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Hump Day Wednesday - 5 July 2000
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Thursday - 6 July 2000
We are back. But I'm too tired to post anything.
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Aloha Friday - 7 July 2000
It's Friday!
Good News Story of the Day. OK. So it's two years ago and you are in your eighth year as the owner of a restaurant. The restaurant business is a very competitive one. Perhaps more so than most others. But through hard work, and a little luck, you've just had the best monthly sales in your little company's history.
Then your luck turns bad. Really bad. The street in front of your business caves in when an aged sewer pipe collapses. "So what?" you say. It's only a pipe. They can fix that in a day or two right? Six months later and they are still working on it. Sales have plummeted simply because your customers can't get to you. And those that actually make it, are greeted by the sights, sounds, and yes, smells of an open sewer.
But you are in business for the long haul. So you continue to struggle on. Not laying off a single one of your loyal 48 employees. And what's more, you continue to give generously to the community in the form of donations to charities, churches, and schools.
But comes the day in which you are faced with a very hard choice. Pay your employees or pay the tax man. It's no problem guessing which they choose. But you do your best and come up with a plan to make tax payments over a period of time. You figure you must have built up some good will. You've paid your taxes on time for eight years. You figure the government will look kindly on the fact that you are making a good faith effort to pay what is due. But you are sadly wrong. And with no tax clearance, you can't renew your liquor license. And with no license, even with the road now open, you loose 40% of your income.
And so you are faced with the hardest, most painful decision any business owner has to make. Stay open or close? The owners are at the end of the line. On that fateful Wednesday, they decide they will close on Friday.
Come Thursday morning, they open as usual. But with heavy hearts, knowing their dreams of running their own business is coming to an end. Their first guests are a couple of regulars. A woman and her daughter. They come in at least three times a week. No matter what. You tell them that your little restaurant that could, no longer can, and will close on Friday.
The daughter is shocked and asks if $100,000 USD is enough to keep you running. You can only stand there dumb founded. Unable to speak. Twenty minutes later, the daughter returns with a cashier's check for that amount. Enough to pay the back taxes. Enough to fix the air conditioning. Enough to renovate and replace the carpets, stained with sewer residue from broken pipes. Enough to keep the dream alive. For at least a little while longer. The little company that could. With the help of an angel. [See the full story here. Note that the link will change at the end of the day]
Have a great weekend everyone! - Aloha
© 2000 Daniel K. Seto. All rights reserved.