If you really want the penultimate gadget, or are just struggling with what to get the real man in your life for Christmas… consider this Swiss Army Knife:

We’ve been reorganized at work… again… or is it “still”. But either way I’ve been moved out of the Business Unit’s CTO Office and into the corporate CTO’s organization. I’m still doing most of the same stuff, just somewhere else. So my new boss asks if I’ll demo some of the product and concept prototypes I’ve been working on for his new boss. And of course I will because I want him to continue funding my work. Publicity never hurts.

So today was demo day. People start coming into the room, and I introduce myself to a few of my new boss’ peers whom I’ve not met before. But my grandboss is running late. He calls on his cell and says to start without him… so we do.

About 10 minutes in, grandboss Richard comes through the door, with another casually dressed man behind him whom I don’t recognize. But I’m mid sentence, and Richard motions me to carry on. So I do. The demo goes very well. Lots of good questions and only one system crash. The stranger with Richard excuses himself halfway through as he has another meeting. But says he’d like to see the rest and asks if he can set some time up to do that.

Things wrap up on a positive note with everyone else, and I’m pretty happy with the energy level around the work I’ve done. Not a bad way to end a week. And I corner my boss on the way out and ask who the interested stranger was that came in with his boss. He chuckles and then apologizes for not introducing us. Turns out it was the Corporate CTO who had decided to tag along for the session.

I’m so glad I opted to wear my shorts in for the demo today… You never get a second chance to make that first impression.