One of the things I’m fond of reminding people of is the quote from Pablo Picasso that everything “is either easy or impossible.” I can usually be counted on to suffix that by adding that the difference between the two often comes down to having the right tool for the job. Just the other day […]
One of the most crucial pieces of advice I’ve ever received was, “Don’t decide for the client how much is too much. It’s not your job to say ‘no’ on their behalf.” Put another way, don’t be afraid of overselling the job; be afraid of underselling the job. This is a separate issue entirely from […]
Over the past few months, my esteemed rAVe HOW colleague, Anthony Coppedge, has written several columns that raised significant and critical issues regarding the supply of and sales of AV hardware and related products into the house of worship markets. His focus has been on the issues facing integrators and why many of them are […]
One of the joys of the AV business is that as networked-capability increases the performance potential of integrated AV, it also increases the complexity, which means increasing the potential for service issues. “Keep it simple,” is a great mantra to live by, but it only goes so far. However, network-connectivity cuts both ways and while […]
The most often ignored or forgotten problem in AV/IT systems can be summed up in this quote from Benjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” Technically speaking, a failure is declared when the system does not meet its desired objectives. Therefore we can consider any system that cannot meet minimum performance […]
Everyone who knows me knows that I have an aphorism for every occasion. (I have sports metaphors too, but that’s not the topic at hand today.) One of my favorite aphorisms (although really, I have so many, it’s hard to choose a favorite) is that “Professionalism isn’t about not having problems: Everyone has problems. Professionalism […]
What Does No Really Mean? I don’t know which specific issues you encounter when dealing with a client who knows only one answer to every suggestion or idea you present — NO — but I do know we all have them. There are so many reasons and possible scenarios that can and will generate a […]
In my last column, I wrote about how virtual reality will offer amazing opportunities for integrators working in higher ed. A few days after I finished, I read an article that made me think about how augmented reality will change the basic functions of our industry. The article is titled “Why Every Organization Needs an […]
It was my husband’s birthday, and the only thing standing between me and our birthday date was a quick service call. Update some network settings, reboot the equipment so they’d take effect, check to make sure everything was online. Easy peasy, right? Yeah, I was like the AV equivalent of the old cop sitting in […]
I was sitting on an overturned paint bucket, holed up inside a freezing cold electrical closet. Just another day at the office! I was trying to figure out the best way to queue up commands if a link in the system went down. I thought things out to their extreme conclusion… and realized that what […]
Although it’s verity has long since been debunked, there’s a popular adage about how during the height of the Cold War and the Space Race, NASA spent millions developing a ballpoint pen that could write in zero gravity, while Soviet Cosmonauts just used a pencil. Regardless, the moral of the story as I’ve always applied […]
In the last year, I have had the great fun of advising a number of tech startups, in both a formal and informal role. It’s been so energizing and refreshing to see these companies bringing such interesting new technologies to the live events marketplace. The blend of science and creativity is really what makes this […]
Who is the best person on your integration team? Where are you getting the highest value? Is it the engineer who can design a flawless system and bring it life through a detailed program report and drawing package? Is it the project manager who manages time, scope, and cost with incredible resource management skills and […]
In the past, I’ve talked about problem solving and how much AV pros love to do it. I also cautioned against being so fond of problem solving that you subconsciously engineer situations where you can swoop into the middle of a crisis and be the hero. After all, as I pointed out, the only thing […]
If you survey a broad sampling of veteran AV pros you’ll find that they’re united by a common trait: They’re all really good at problem solving. In fact, the best ones love problem solving. There’s a rush that comes from finding a solution and being able to yell out “I FIXED IT!” Call it natural […]
