Call for Ball...and Pierce

Who knows where radio talker Mike Ball is now?

A comment on the profile of him when he was still on WGIR with Dan Pierce in New Hampshire wonders too.

Our latest search turned up this:

In NEW HAMPSHIRE, there's still no replacement announced for Dan Pierce, who resigned as program director and afternoon host at WGIR (610 Manchester) and its network of simulcasts (WTSL 1400 Lebanon, WGIP 1540 Exeter, WGIN 930 Rochester) on August 27. We're hearing some buzz that Pierce's departure may clear the way for Mike Ball, who was ousted as the morning host last month (a slot fulled by Charlie Sherman.)

That's not much info. It was from September 2004.

Beyond the Repository

Get your PDF here. Mike Ball presents 35 pages of PowerPoint on the future of content management.

He is director and general manager of EMC Documentum. So, there is a bit of beef amongst the high-toned words and high-color graphics. (If nothing else, you can enjoy the information-overloaded executive with his head in his hands.

This one was a presentation at the Enterprise Information Management Conference in Boston, July 2004. He is frequent speaker at such conferences worldwide.

Of course, we assume Documentum may have a solution or two to vend. The teaser for the presentation includes:

Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) is a strategy of pro-active management of information that is business-centric. It needs a unified approach, and is policy-based. ILM aligns service levels with business requirements. Mike considered data protection, which in his world involves backup and replication. In his world, these two are becoming closely enjoined. We have already mentioned that compliance management is a major requirement. Email is becoming a big business risk, so needs to have a business strategy for managing it.

New Twists to London

Our man in economics, Michael Ball, is lead author with David Sutherland of An Economic History of London: 1800-1914. The Business History Review at Harvard Business School starts its comments by saying the authors "set out to move London history in new directions, departing from previous narrative and explanatory accounts and explicitly deploying modern economic theories."

They claim that much of previous views of London development suffers from earlier, misleading views. They find, among other conclusions, that "London was not industrially backward in the nineteenth century, but was growing and diversifying according to the predictions of competitive market theory."

The book is 470 pages. Published by Routledge i 2001, it retailed then for $110. It is available now from Amazon (free shipping) for $115, or as an ebook for $110 from the eBookMall.

Content Management Optimism

At EMC's Legato Software, Director of Product Marketing Mike Ball commented:

aving been in this industry for more than 15 years, I can say that 2004 has the promise of being one of the most exciting years in the content/document management industry. The recent surge of interest in regulatory compliance, corporate governance and legal risk initiatives has legitimized content management as another mandatory infrastructure application required to operate a business-just like ERP, payroll or similar business systems.

The traditional benefits of improved productivity, secure archival and reduced operating costs deliver added multifaceted ROI and business value.

The recent consolidation of vendors and solutions will undoubtedly continue in 2004, giving customers the benefit of selecting from financially strong and secure companies that can deliver mature technology solutions combined with long-term viability and industry commitment.

—KM World. Camden, March 2004.

Our Man in Man

The Channel Islands off England rotate their version of Olympic games. The most recent one to be held on the Isle of Man was in 2001.

Our man in the center of those was Mike Ball, the island's Director of Leisure. In the picture, our man is in the middle flanked by chairman Brian Partington and Gary Jakeman.

The games include competitors from all the islands. They vie in a dozen sports.

Another Ball on the Boards

Another actor Mike Ball is not to be confused with the famous Canadian Michael Ball. This one is from Philadelphia. He is a major star of the Stagecrafters. He has numerous credits with them, some of which you can see here.

Our Man of the Poppies

In Bristol, England, Mike Ball is the treasurer of the branch and club of the Dundry British Royal Legion. The service organization (and bar) has been open since 1949.

Buy a Used House from This Mike?

In Queensland, Australia, Mike Ball sells luxury realty on Bribie Island. The profile for our sales consultant includes:

Mike and his family have lived on Bribie Island for nearly 10 years and would be well known to many Bribie residents. Mike and Lyn have been married 30 years and have twin daughters who are studying Veterinary Science at Queensland University.

A Boilermaker/Welder by trade, Mike has worked his way up from the workshop floor to become State Manager for one of Australia's largest steel companies. He was also empowered with setting up and commissioning a purpose built production centre for this company and his people skills when negotiating and overseeing all aspects of this venture were regularly called upon to smooth many a ruffled feather over the course of time.

Following this, Mike spent 5 years in Sales & Marketing mangement for a Company involved in a specialised engineering field, before setting up his own business, 'Passage Pool Supplies' 5 years ago.

The rest, as they say, is history. This business grew from strength to strength winning two Excellence In Business awards. This success can only be attributed to Mike's hard work, dedication and commitment to his customers, and these traits are carried through to his clients in Real Estate. Mike will always give you 110% and with his honest and straight-forward approach you can be assured your best interests are always paramount.

Mikes integrity, enthusiasm and valuable local knowledge will help ensure his clients receive the best possible outcome with their Real Estate needs.

Ball on Bouncing: 2

Our man Mike Ball in Australia has shown his face.

He is the Umpiring Development Manager Umpiring WA, which is conducted under the auspices of the West Australian Football Commission. It is "at the home of Football, Subiaco Oval.

"There are four full time employees, an Umpiring Development Manager, two Umpiring Administators and a Development Officer.

"Umpiring WA exists to provide clear direction to all affiliates and to further develop the role of the umpire within the game of Australian Football."

Great Plains Aeronaut

We have one us in South Dakota. A commissioner on the South Dakota Department of Trasnsportation Commission is Mike Ball.

His term is for 2005-2006. He is from Huron. You can see him with all the commissioners here.

Un-Bond

We can find no other mention of Michael C. Ball, actor. He is credited was Male Hooker #3 in The Click: Balls of Thunder.

This 2002 made-for-TV movie features Robert Donovan as Rod Steele. The plot summary is mercifully short:

Armed with a remote control device that causes people to become extremely horny, he must battle super-villain Tangerina, who wants to capture the sperm of the world's most powerful men and create an army of sex slaves.

The love interest is apparently the villain, De'Ann Power (right) as Tangerina.

We can't see any images of our man, the hooker. Also, this is the only movie credit he has.

As a hint of why this movie did not have a theatrical release, consider a dialog sample from Rod:"I'd like a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, with a touch of lemon and one green olive on a wooden toothpick, preferably imported from somewhere in the Orient."

Back to the Futurliner

In Michigan, Mike Ball has been an active volunteer in the six-year project to restore and exhibit an automotive anomaly.

Before most of us were around or can remember, General Motors had Parade of Progress shows. Their 12 Futureliners were integral to the traveling expos.

Futurliner #10 came into the hands of Don Mayton and his crew of a couple dozen volunteers. They have restored it from a rusty heap to a shiny hulk. You can see the project from the beginning.

Dig into the photo/caption archives or drill right down to your specialty (like bumpers). You can also click on the work reports by year to see the painstaking operations (and what parts Mike played).

Back to Bama

Our man in Alabama has augmented his published bio on the state legislature site. Representative Mike Ball is also a musician, it turns out.

From vocations to avocations, he now includes:

Mike served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1973 to 1977 and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant. In 1978, he became an Alabama State Trooper, and served 8 years in the Highway Patrol Division. In 1986, he was assigned to serve in the Major Crimes Unit of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation. In addition to his investigative duties, Mike also served as a Hostage Negotiator. He retired from the Alabama Department of Public Safety on January 1, 2003.

A student of several musical instruments, Mike enjoys improvisation with other "shade tree" musicians. He is a member of Asbury Methodist United Methodist Church, the American Legion, the Alabama State Trooper Association, and the Huntsville Traditional Music Association.

Note: Shade-tree musicians tend to be those who play on weekends for their enjoyment. That can include more regular practices and even vanity pressings of their own CDs. I have no evidence the his group has done so, yet.

Honoring Comrades

A poignant piece on a family honoring buddies they saw killed in the Middle East – and never had time to mourn – appeared in the Denver Rocky Mountain News. Lance Cpl. Mike Ball was one of those who travelled to Colorado at the call from the parents of the late Lance Cp. Kyle Burns. Jo and Bob Burns asked those who last saw their son alive.

Kyle died in Fallujah on Veteran's Day, 2004, hit by a rocket-protelled grenade. At the cemetery, his comrades said they had not been able to assimilate it until now. Dustin Barker, Kyle's best friend in the platoon, said, "When you're over there, there's no time to grieve. You worry that if you do, you'll get someone killed.

Ball added, "I strted to let the tears come, but we had patrol in 10 minutes. You have to shut it off. We just got in the vehicles and started driving."

Note: I recommend reading the whole article, which is by Jim Sheeler. Be warned that it is moving.

The article concludes with:

When it was all over, the two tallest, toughest-looking Marines at the Burns' table stood and hugged Jo Burns, then each other.

Suddenly, Lance Cpl. Ball's face turned red, then exploded into tears. As he pressed his head into Barker's shoulder, the sobbing spread. Other Marines from the company grabbed hold of each other. They held tight for nearly a minute, holding nothing back.

Eventually, someone started to laugh, and they all laughed for a few seconds, then began to cry again, the tears darkening their deep blue uniforms. After regaining his breath several minutes later, Ball thumped Barker on the back.

"That stuff has been bottled up for so long," Ball said.

"It feels so good to get it out," he said, patting his buddy on the back. "Now we can mourn too."

Converting Yobs in Wales

Punkish behavior has been responding to a program in Flintshire, North Wales, U.K. It has a name that doesn't really fit on a t-shirt, but the Flintshire Anti-Social Behaviour Review Group works because it involves the kids.

Mike Ball is coordinator of the Holway Estate Neighbourhood Watch. In the first year of operation at the housing project, juvenile incidents went from 80 to 22 and overall anti-social incidents from 256 to 155. That includes everything from littering to domestic violence.

The program started under a grant of about $2.5 million for the 410 homes in the area.

Ball said, "It's the result of partnership between youth groups, residents and tenants, neighbourhood watch, police and council." In addition, cause and effect seem important. He added that "(w)hen you reported a crime, a police officer came and then if there is a followup visit it might have been another police officer who attended." Now a dedicated officer is available for continuity.

The program is seen as a model for other neighborhoods.

Note: The original source was the Liverpool Daily Post, September 3, 2006, page 16, which is not online.

Diploma Mills Watchdogs in Washington

It seems that Washington State is a hot spot for down and dirty, quick and easy (and inexpensive) college degrees by the Net or mail. An article in the Spokane Spokesman details the diploma-mill problem.

University of Illinois Professor Geoge Gollin has a Website that records and publicizes the problem and various actions against them. While Gollin got his real doctorate from Princeton, he notes that a non-accredited Parkwood Univeristy offered him a bachelor's, master's and doctorate in "systems engineering" for $4,400.

Mike Ball, Washington's Associate Director, Degree Authorization and Veterans Programs, for the Higher Education Coordinating Board points to legal loopholes that make his state a breeding ground for such tripe. As the article notes, "A school must have an actual building in the state to give the HEC Board jurisdiction, Ball said. State laws, written before the rapid advance of the Internet, don't consider if an online school's registrant lives in Washington."

His counterpart in Oregon says his state is different. Alan Contreras of the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization said, "In Washington, you can buy a degree for $500 in the morning and put it on your resume that same afternoon."

Volvo Revolves in London

Volvo has been sellling over 600 of its double-decker B7Tl buses a year in London since 2002. CEO of Volvo Bus Ltd. Mike Ball said the success in understandable.

"When the roads are congested, the double decker has one unbeatable advantage with its length of only 10.5 metres and a capacity for 85-90 passengers."

This has become even more important since the congestion inspired the city to charge high fees for driver. The effort is to get even more to take public transit.

Volvo Bus has also gotten orders for the model from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin and Sheffield, Mike added.

Freedom of Blog

The PATRIOT Act has not gone quite so far yet, but in some of the world, blogging, email and other Net activities can mean jail or worse. The French Reporters sans frontières (Reporters without borders) aims to keep blogging fun and safe.

The new Handbook for Bloggers and Cyberdissidents is online in PDF for free or for €10 on the RSF site. The English download is here. Languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Persian.

There's plain good sense and procedures about how to blog. Of particular interest are chapters on:

• How to blog anonymously
• Technical ways to get around censorship
• Ensuring your email is truly private

NIMBY in Maine

Less illustrious than some with our name, Mike Ball of South Thomaston, Maine, still acted civically when it came to the methadone clinic. Last December, Rockland in the midcoast held a city council meeting centered on whether to allow a clinic downtown. After testimony, including Mike's, they blocked it.

Interestingly enough, they changed the zoning law and redefined a methadone clinic as a sole source pharmacy. The effect will be to let it open up outside of town on Rte. 90, an industrial area.

When it was his turn, Mike said that as a recovering drug addict, he opposed it downtown.

He remembered that while using drugs he secured methadone illegally, and suggested other drug users would be drawn to the area if a clinic opened. "I'm saying there's going to be a lot of problems," he said.

His remarks were applauded.

Pixelater

According to the German computer game site, The Legacy, the nostalgic game museum, Mike Ball made his mark.

He was a programmer for both Mr. Blobby and for Defcon 5.

These were early games for the Amiga 500/600 (OCS/ECS), Mr. Blobby and for the IBM PC (DOS). The latter had bad reviews though.

Does anyone know where this Mike Ball is?