Risk

Risk is always present in our lives ... I personally like some risk - especially when it arises from change. Risk has occupied a great portion of my day today as I get ready to conduct risk analysis meetings related to my current project ... we will analyse risk from two standpoints - risk to the project plan and business risks that we will be identify to be a focus in our software test strategy. I spent today preparing templates, definition documents and use cases as handouts.

On my drive home from the office today I pondered risk in my life a bit.

I hadn't thought of it as such until today but there are several little habits that I have been trying to cultivate since the New Year (when I did all my resolutions) that really aim at risk reduction.

Here are some small changes I made -

(1) I stopped re-using those flimsy plastic water bottles and instead purchased several great - and - proper water bottles of varying sizes and styles. I kept reading about the danger of these bottles and all the nice chemicals they put in your system. Seems a small thing to do.

(2) I lock my car door as soon as I close it - all the time now not just at night. I keep reading about car jacking and well - locking the door is a habit now.

(3) I don't put anything in the re-cycle bin that has any personal info on it - not even those offers of credit cards etc. Identity theft .... why take the chance. I've read everyone should have a shredder - I take all that paper to the office and put it in the paper shredder box.

(4) I can be very lazy about washing my coffee cup at the office - not any more ... it gets scrubbed often now.

Small changes ... who knows if any of them make a difference but I think they help to control certain risks.

Comments

[Anne]

I have two myself: Always lock the car doors after you get in, and never get in your car alone without checking the back seat/s first.

Have a great week!

[Dale]

Risk is uncertain
Certainty can be a risk
Bird, jump from the nest

[jon]

Thanks for letting me know about the water bottles! What about things like Platypus packs or Camelbaks?

[wendy]

From what I've read the problem with re-using the bottles (they are supposed to be disposible) is that because they are so flimsy and not manufactured to last, the plastic breaks down and the toxins then go into the water and your system. So - use them once and chuck them in the recycle bin. I've bought some really great Nalgene bottle which I love - they don't fit in the water bottle holder on my bike though so I had to buy a different type for the bike.
I think the system you mentioned Jon are still OK - they are meant for re-use.

[bob]

The greatest risk to me is me. I am incredibly absent-minded & clumsy. I have at least 3 or 4 spectacular falls on icy sidewalks every winter, the kind of fall where your feet are above your head at some point. Always in front of many people, of course.

Last week, I somehow cut my ear shaving. Your ear really bleeds a lot. I recommend avoiding ear cuts. I had to wear a band-aid on my ear for two days - I felt like Les Nessman at the office.

And I can't tell you how many times I've left my keys dangling in my front door all night.

[wendy]

Speaking of leaving keys in door overnight - when I was a consultant working in Quebec City I did that one night and someone came into my apartment and stole my wallet. That was an eerie feeling let me tell you - I was sleeping in the other room and to know the next day someone had been in my apartment was really freaky - thank heavens the wallet was all they wanted. But there I was working away from home - no money, or bank cards or driver's license etc. Luckily I had a trip home scheduled already and it was Friday - I had to come home and do all the administrative things to replace everything in my wallet. After that I stopped carrying so many valuable papers in my wallet.

Now Bob after you've told us you sometimes leave your door unlocked at night ... now just don't tell any of us your address or we'll be around to steal your CD collection.

[security]

That's an effective way to know a company better.