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Decision tree induction may be just what the doctor ordered to reduce manufacturing process analysis costs--but don't forget to involve the people on the shop floor Everyone welcomes practical solutions […]

He's widely regarded as the best-known and perhaps most successful CEO the business world has ever known, but he didn't talk much about corporate strategy, grand plans, or sweeping vision. […]

Sex, politics, and religion are three things we aren't supposed to discuss in public-too unnerving, too emotional, too personal. Sparked by the ideas expressed in the pile of letters that […]

Ah, credibility: Last week, I talked about cleaning the stables, a reference to one of the labors of Hercules. But in that same column, I made a pretty stupid mess […]

Fourteen-year-old to parent: "So what do you think about this Enron thing?" "Well, it's complicated. What part of it are you asking about?" Long, silent gaze, bordering on both incredulity […]

He had a voice Orson Welles would have envied (not to mention, in the wake of the Super Bowl, the stentorian tones of the guy who was the original voice […]

Business as usual? What does that mean anymore? In this rigid, scrutinize-every-expense-till-it-screams climate, it would hardly be surprising to hear that a software entrepreneur is beta-testing an application that measures […]

So, in the wake of the rotten 12 months we've just left behind, you've undertaken a comprehensive review of who your strategic software partners will be in the years to […]

I've never really understood the "Bill Gates vs. Larry Ellison" matchup that periodically mesmerizes and titillates some publications, but it's particularly relevant now to compare their philosophies on two issues: […]

Judging by the reaction of our readers to last week's column, teen-agers really do think differently than the rest of us. Here are some responses to our look at the […]

If someone mentions to you the word "teen-agers," what comes to mind? Monosyllabic answers to questions like, "How was school today?" The ability to consume 6,000 calories per day? Confusion […]

L ike everyone else, I have recollections of this year that span the range from shatteringly sad and overwhelming to profoundly courageous and buoyantly optimistic. Two stick with me, and […]

Now, I'm not a doctor, and I don't play one on television. And I'm not a chief security officer, but I will play one-however superficially-for the purposes of this column. […]

The economy stinks (doesn't it?), we're engulfed by uncertainty (aren't we?), companies are hacking away at payrolls (aren't they?), projects are being suspended or flat-out canceled (right?), and the much-touted […]

So, the HP-Compaq merger: Is this a good thing? I don't want to sound sacrilegious, but I don't mean for shareholders; rather, is it a good thing for customers? Will […]

Never in my wildest dreams (nightmares?) did I ever hope to receive an honorary membership in the plaintiff bar, but I think the disclosure I'm about to make would make […]

Last week, I reflected back to you some of the high-priority issues that we've been hearing are filling your days, evenings, and to-do lists. I noted that we'll explore many […]

Contingency planning task force. Disaster-recovery strategy meeting. Business-continuity overview. Cybersecurity vendor selection. Physical security updates. New training. New policies. Decentralize the network. Recruit top-notch chief security officer; restructure to give […]

I wrote last week about privacy and my belief that we as a society might have to think a bit more clearly about where it's essential (e.g., background checks, medical […]

There's lots of talk these days about privacy-what is it; what does it mean; what is it worth; can it be sacrificed and if so for what; does it still […]

Earlier this year, I was engaged in a lively discussion with some marketing executives from the software industry over what they felt was the major issue of the day: In […]

Why don't all or at least the vast majority of Web sites have privacy policies? I've asked this question of a number of intelligent people with solid knowledge of this […]

I don't understand stem-cell research as thoroughly as I'd like. Heck, I don't understand it as vaguely as I'd like. But in spite of my ignorance, it's clear even to […]

It comes to us sometimes in books, in meetings with customers, or in conversations; sometimes via music, while listening to a presentation, or during our own introspection. It's the germ […]

"There are two parts to the human dilemma. One is the belief that the end justifies the means. That push-button philosophy, that deliberate deafness to suffering, has become the monster […]

It's said that parents get the children they deserve. Would it also hold, then, that societies get the governments they deserve? If so, the citizens of this book must have […]

Some 14 hours after the murderous attacks last week at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a few hundred of you gathered in Tucson, Ariz., for what was to […]

Many readers responded to the poem included in this space last week about the six blind men and the elephant, and how that old story is so appropriate in today's […]

So you thought Planet Of The Apes had a surprise ending? Well, here's one from almost 50 years ago (no, not "It's a cookbook!!"), and while the surprise part comes […]

We're all known for different things. The subject of this biography (to be called Mr. X here) was known from his boyhood until he died for creating this type of […]

I think it was the columnist George Will who, about 20 years ago, coined the term "the indignance industry" to describe a rather large bloc of Americans who were always […]

The New York Times ran a story last week saying that IT jobs were disappearing at what it called New Economy companies like Cisco Systems but were still plentiful at […]

Why is it that so many good books are ground into lousy movies? This one is an all-time example-the movie starred one guy who later manned a starship, another guy […]

In keeping with this issue's special focus on privacy, I'd like to share some reader feedback on our recent coverage of new legislation in South Carolina that requires IT workers, […]

In the category of "nobody ever said life is fair" sits the dual responsibility facing business-technology executives: have the vision to see what's coming in the next 18 to 24 […]

The closest I've ever come to being drafted-other than in Little League-was several years ago when a guy from my company's building-services department left me a message saying I'd been […]

I need to correct an error I made in last week's column, in which I incorrectly described the nature of Nortel Networks' recent financial results. I incorrectly cited a charge […]

Everybody should have this book or one like it. Not only is it a reference book that tells you about movies you might want to watch, but the writing itself-and […]