Sweet 16 for My Cassie

Quite a day for my Cassie: her 16th birthday is today.

“Sweet 16” (as it’s commonly called here in The States) is a significant milestone. It’s considered a coming of age (although not quite the age of majority, which is 18) .. it’s when you can get a driver’s license, an adult job and earn the right to health-related privacy laws.

At 16 you can donate blood in many states (with parental consent) and obtain an ten-year United States passport. It’s the age you can drop out of school (please don’t!) and get married (with parental consent .. please don’t!)

Sixteen is the legal drinking age in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Portugal. It is also the legal age for a person to purchase tobacco products in Belgium, Switzerland and Italy.

For many turning 16 you throw a party of select friends and the family. The honored guest selects the guests, the venue and the activities .. for Cassie it was her school chums, at home and all electronic .. all the time.

Happy Birthday, my Cassie.

About Michael Coates
I am a pragmatic evangelist. The products, services and solutions I write about fulfill real-world expectations and use cases. I stay up-to-date on real products I use and review, and share my thoughts here. I apply the same lens when designing an architecture, product or when writing papers. I am always looking for ways that technology can create or enhance a business opportunity .. not just technology for technology's sake. My CV says: Seasoned technology executive, leveraging years of experience with enterprise and integration architectural patterns, executed with healthy doses of business acumen and pragmatism. That's me. My web site says: Technology innovations provide a myriad of opportunities for businesses. That said, having the "latest and greatest" for its own sake isn't always a recipe for success. Business successes gained through exploiting innovation relies on analysis of how the new features will enhance your business followed by effective implementation. Goals vary far and wide: streamlining operations, improving customer experience, extending brand, and many more. In all cases, you must identify and collect the metrics you can apply to measure your success. Analysis must be holistic and balanced: business and operational needs must be considered when capitalizing on a new technology asset or opportunity.

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