ShadowRAM: April 28, 2008

Taking The Plunge--For Real
• blog

Meanwhile, Andrew was chatting with another man mustering up the courage to jump: none other than Joe Montana. Keizer didn't get a photograph with Montana, but he had the Hall of Fame quarterback sign his certificate, which coincidentally reads "This certified jumper has become more than your Average Joe."

Dollar Signs and Swan Songs
• We love when vendors offer solution provider sales reps spifs or free trips to blockbuster sporting events like the Kentucky Derby. But nothing beats the feel of cold hard cash. That's just what Intel was doling out to solution providers at the Intel Solution Summit in Las Vegas. Check out the vault literally blowing dollar bills into the hands of solution providers. That's one vault we'd like to take a tumble in.

The Intel Solution Summit, by the way, was a swan song for outgoing executive Shirley Turner, who along with three top North American channel colleagues, opted to take an early retirement package from Intel.

Turner treated her fans to four of her signature songs at the Awards Dinner, including her versions of Janis Joplin's "Mercedes-Benz" and the Beatles' "Yesterday." A fixture on the microphone at a number of industry events throughout the years, Turner's voice will be missed in the channel.

SEEN AND HEARD
• Actor/comedian John Cleese wrapped up the Cisco Partner Summit in paradise (also known as Honolulu) with a session that was part stand-up, part motivational speech.

Cleese poked fun at the sales executives in the room: "I do know a bit about salespeople, and let me just say that I do have everything I need right now."

Cleese also jumped on the collaboration bandwagon, drawing from his own life experience as an example. He noted that 13 people contributed lines to his script for the film "A Fish Called Wanda." "And, CEOs," he added, "I still got the Oscar."

Cisco also hosted what it called a Global Party to close out the Partner Summit. One astute partygoer said he'd decided to be on his best behavior that night because he had seen someone on the streets of Honolulu wearing a T-shirt that read, "What Happens In Hawaii Ends Up On YouTube." This ain't Vegas, baby. Point taken.

For more on the conference in paradise, check out the 25 (Tropical) Scenes from the Cisco Partner Summit online at www.channelweb.com.