Increase IT Diversity

My favorite columnist, Eugene Kane of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, made the following statement in a recent column:

It was clear the blogosphere in Milwaukee is similar to most institutions in town: predominantly white and filled with folks who only want to talk about race relations if they can blame all of the problems in the black community on Ald. Mike McGee.

I agree that there is a startling lack of diversity in the blogosphere, and in the technology industry in general. I have worked in the IT industry for more than 16 years, and in that time the only thing that hasn’t changed much is the predominance of white males.

For some reason white males get the gig as the uber-geek, especially in the highly technical positions.

Are white males the only ones who are willing to spend most of their waking hours dreaming of ways to create a fully-meshed network or deploy redundant SANs?

I certainly hope not.

As I have previously stated, I believe that there are plenty of unemployed or underemployed folks who have the aptitude and desire to join the IT workforce. All that they need is a chance.

In order to increase diversity in the IT industry, I propose that the following measures be pursued.

• Encourage training schools such as ITT Technical Institute and PC Pro Schools to create campuses within the city of Milwaukee, especially in areas that have high unemployment rates.
• Encourage local businesses to create on-the-job-training programs for entry level IT positions.
• Create a program to salvage retired computer equipment from local businesses and provide this free gear to people who cannot afford a computer.
• Provide free broadband connections to homes where someone is training for an IT career through a registered program.
• Hold IT related job fairs in Milwaukee’s inner-city and other areas that have high unemployment rates.
• Broadcast public service announcements on television and radio that promote IT related careers and provide training related information.

These are the same ideas that I proposed in my previous posting, but they are important enough to reiterate.

Instead of finding ways to outsource IT jobs overseas, we should be finding ways to give everyone in this country an opportunity to have a fun and exciting job that also pays pretty darn good.

Recessed Mirror TVs a Must at Miller Park

A few weeks ago my family visited a recently rebuilt McDonalds in the area. Surprisingly, they regaled me with stories of the ultra-cool television mirrors that were installed in the bathrooms.

It seems as though McDonalds has gone hi-tech and installed recessed mirror TVs in the bathrooms of their new stores so that customers can watch the big game (or some other favorite show that McDonalds deems appropriate) while washing their hands. Sports fans must love this idea. I sure do.

While I wonder whether or not this is a wise economical move for McDonalds, I know of another venue where using this technology is a no-brainer.

Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, is an amazing facility. The Jumbotron scoreboard, LED ribbon board, and other state of the art electronics provide fans with a wealth of information and cool eye candy. Even the concourses are littered with television so that fans won’t miss a pitch while waiting in line for their food or buying other concessions.

It’s virtually impossible to miss any of the action while you are in the concourse or seating bowl. Technology has definitely made Miller Park a sports fans dream.

However, the spacious restrooms are completely void of electronics, and the only way that you can keep up with the game is through the radio telecast. Over the years I have seen plenty of folks burst out of the restrooms to check the concourse video monitors or run up the concourse when something happens on the field.

Knowing that these people have probably not washed their hands because of their mad dash to see what’s going on sure makes me think twice about using the handrails or touching the concession counters.

Putting TV monitors in the concourse so that fans won’t have to leave their concession line to keep up with the action makes sense. But keeping the same monitors out of the restrooms speaks volumes about the capitalistic intent of the Brewers.

McDonalds understands that installing cool technology in their stores adds to the comfort factor that their customers demand. This organization is obviously going after the Wow! factor that will reward them with return visitors.

Miller Park apparently just wants to provide the extras to those customers who are buying something. Never mind that virtually everyone who visits Miller Park will use the restroom at least once during the game, especially if they visit the concession stand.

I understand that installing TV monitors and recessed TV mirrors in the restrooms would be a huge expense. However, the Brewers would be able to sell additional advertising, which would undoubtedly pay for this cost and eventually provide them with an additional revenue stream.

It’s time for the Miller Park administration to step up to the plate and hit another home run with Brewers fans. Instead of encouraging fans to rush out of the restroom without washing their hands, they should use this cool new technology to increase the Wow! factor once again in this amazing facility.