• What a Business Analyst Does

    For anybody who is curious or confused about my new business title, you’re not alone. Even people who are actually in this industry aren’t quite sure what the various titles and job duties actually entail. Today I found a great article that finally explains the names and the overlap. Here’s me:

    IT Business Analyst – This is the analyst who is generally associated with requirements elicitation/analysis and solving problems using information technology solutions. This role is the bridge between business & IT.

    I love that last quote. That’s the key, really. The business and marketing guys have a goal they want to achieve. I take these Feature Requests and turn them into functional requirements and specifications that the tech guys can work from. When the tech guys have an issue – like a technology or resource limitation – I can be an advocate and make a case to the business for what they need. It’s fun! I get to be a bridge, contact point, and translater between lots of different areas of the business. And since we’re so small, I get to have a lot more input in setting up new processes and documenting existing ones that I might have in a big corporate environment.


  • Spreadtweet

    Spreadtweet. A Twitter client that looks like an Excel spreadsheet, for people in offices with restrictive managers. (I, on the other hand, trade Twitter client recommendations with my manager. Hi Venks!)


  • Zombie Macs

    Wow. Somebody’s actually created a Mac botnet by infecting users who pirated Photoshop CS4. Yikes. (As Snookums put it: “Good thing I don’t know anybody who would do that.” Me: “Uh… Yeah.”)


  • CUB Site put off indefinitely

    Wow. Just spotted on SMH: “It’s off: Carlton brewery site goes flat”.

    THE developer behind the massive former Carlton and United Brewery project at Broadway has called an indefinite halt to construction and says the project will not start until the global economy recovers.

    Very interesting. On one hand that’s more time for the project to be scaled back to a level that meets residents’ concerns for overpopulation and green space. On the other hand, it’s a massive city block that looks like Wonka’s chocolate factory was leveled by a wrecking ball. I posted it to the Life in Chippendale blog; I’m interested to hear what other people think about it.


  • Shared today on Twitter

    Coworker is packaging up “Heroes” shwag for contest winners. So. Jealous.


    @damana Reclaiming the word, I think. Also realizing that geeks are interesting. Being passionate about something is a GOOD thing.


    Thinking of giving knitting a miss tonight. Will see everybody on Saturday morning at the Guild meeting!


    @sharre Oh yeah! You have to specify one as your main group when you sign up, but you can go to any meetings you like.


    @sharre Not in my group! You can give me cash/transfer and I’ll take responsibility for sending it in. Worked great last month! 🙂


    @shanea @DDsD But… but… Grant is a scientist! He has a proper scientific calculator and everything! HE BUILDS ROBOTS, FOR GOD’S SAKE.


    Sucking down coffee and listening to the cats wrestle. Trying to work up the energy to go out for a run.


    Just completed a 4.24 km run with @runkeeper, check it out http://bit.ly/fSvvV #runkeeper


    LinkedIn ettiquette: Got request to add from chick at my uni who I don’t remember AT ALL. Add anyway? I’m new to LI.


    @brodrigu I suppose if I ever move back to the U.S., yeah. Okay, added. (Hey, do I have you on there??)



  • Shared today on Facebook

    Coworker is packaging up “Heroes” shwag for contest winners. So. Jealous.


    LinkedIn ettiquette: Got request to add from chick at my uni who I don’t remember AT ALL. Add anyway? I’m new to LI.



  • Shared today on Twitter

    Indian summer. (Do they say that here?) Hot and beautiful. Gym circuit relocated to park to kick/catch football. Feeling sore but energized.


    Woohoo! Nearly time to head to Geek Girl Dinner. Had to sign NDA since it’s at Google. I may even give a talk! NERD. GRRRL. POWER.


    Google swag. Just waiting for my girls now! http://twitpic.com/3cfxu


    Sitting next to @misswired. Two beers down and knitting through tech talks. #ggd


    Ooh, fun. Just managed to connect to free Google guest wi-fi. #ggd


    Not to be sexist or anything, but what’s with all the dudes? I would have brought Snook if I’d known penises were allowed. #ggd #GGDS


    Reminded of how when I started last dev job, was told other guy devs just wanted to know if I was hot. Sisterhood! #GGDS


    Slightly unsure of true geek cred of some attendees. Have urge to go around testing with Star Wars trivia. “WRONG! TK421!” #GGDS


    Dude, Macs have command lines too. #GGDS


    Hm. Surrounded by Twitter marketroids. They look just like normal people! #GGDS


    Figured that 1 drink per interview Google put me thru before rejection would give me closure. Six drinks later = it’s all good, Goog. #GGDS


    Spent post #GGDS drinking time stalking cute Goog coder chick w/ @AusVintageGrrl. Such a fun night. Thanks @redambition for ride home! #GGDS


    @redambition Oddly, I feel pretty darn good! Had a crap night’s sleep, but judging by the tweets, so did everybody else who was there.


    @knitness Ha! Yeah, we thought she was the coolest. Her speech was the most technical but also very entertaining.


    Waiting for my K.Rudd money is like waiting for bags at the airport. Somehow I just know I’m going to be last.



  • Shared today on Facebook

    Waiting for my K.Rudd money is like waiting for bags at the airport. Somehow I just know I’m going to be last.



  • Geek Girl Dinner Sydney

    Me, Issy,a nd TiaTonight was our long-awaited Geek Girl Dinner Sydney event. I met up with Issy and Tia at the new Googleplex in Pyrmont. (Not the same one I interviewed at in the CBD. Note: My double Goog-rejection was much on my mind.) The new building is gorgeous, and the emcee mentioned a couple of times how “green” it was supposed to be. We checked in and picked up our swag, then were directed out to the “verandah” for drinks. We had champagne and beer while looking out over the gorgeous Sydney skyline. We made some new friends. There was much mockery of Joomla. Then we were all directed down to the meeting room for the “lightning talks.” I got instantly recognized by @misswired, who it took me a few minutes to place. (One of the perils of having a blog; being recognised by strangers. Within ten minutes had worked out that we have, like, 20 of the same friends.) Anyway, the talks. Eight different speakers gave five minute speeches about everything from Twitter to Adobe Flex to helpful command line utilities. (I’d offered to give a speech on the Australian online knitting community, but the bill was full. I think my speech would’ve been better than at least half of them.) Several of the speeches just seemed to be plugs for the chick’s business or employer. Also – there were a lot of guys there! I had no idea that it was kosher to bring partners along. I twittered and knitted throughout the speeches. Afterwards we were herded into a (very small) room for more drinks and nibblies. There was much pounding of free Google booze, and much stalking of super-cool Google coder chicks. (I covet those t-shirts with the Google logo with the female symbol as one of the o’s.) Thankfully Issy was available to drive me and Tia home. Thanks, ladies! It was a super fun night. I’m definitely up for the next one.


  • Demystifying Double Crochet

    Demystifying double crochet for beginners. Great tutorial with super clear photos. Knowing where to put that last stitch is always the problem I have with crochet. This helps a lot.



ABOUT

My name is Kris. I’ve been blogging since the 90’s. I live in Sydney, Australia, and I spent most of my career in the tech industry.

No AI used in writing this blog, ever. 100% human-generated.


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