UnITy – the convergence of data and voice

Since the invention of the corporate telephone system, phone services have always been the domain of the mysterious “Voice Guy”.

The Voice Guy would come to your office to do MACs (moves, adds, changes).  He would float into your office with a BIX tool, wire cutters, and maybe even a red, funny looking telephone hanging off his tool belt (don’t laugh – it’s called a butt set). You’d point to where you want a new phone to be installed, and voila, it would get setup.  Here’s the bill, have a great day.

You’d cringe, both at the cost of the service call, as well as the cost of the proprietary digital phone set, with medieval options that needed a reference book to explain the reference guide that came with it.  If you were lucky, you’d know how to get your voicemail, delete them…and that’s about it.  Setting up ring groups? Uh…call the Voice Guy.  Need to forward calls from your extension to your mobile phone? Uh….call the Voice Guy.   Need to get your office voicemails on your BlackBerry when you’re on the road? Uh…don’t bother calling the Voice Guy – it can’t be done.

So What’s in a Name? Osama, Obama and My Relationship to them Both

Ok, let’s start by keeping in mind that what happened on September 11, 2001 was a horrific act of murder of innocent lives. It was a heinous crime against humanity. It was also a crime against the peaceful religion that it was done in the name of.  There is not a religion on this earth that condones killing innocent, defenseless people.

So that being said, this story is about a little fellow who lives in Ottawa (err…me….) whose name is Osama.  Osama Faris.  That’s right, first name Osama, last name Faris.

Life has been “interesting” the past 7 years.  My name has caused me no lack of incidents and I thought I would share a few of the more spectacular ones with you: