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Apparently Seattle experienced an earthquake tonight around 8:50 that registered a 3.7 and was centered under Bremerton. I wish I could have felt it- but it slipped by. I may have confused it with bass from passing cars.
So this week was supposed to be a vacation before really working a lot on Common Craft . I was planning to take about 2 weeks after quitting my job to decompress, blow off steam and all that stuff. As it turns out- I've been working more than I imagined. But you know, it's all good because I'm working for me and doing stuff that I want to do.
I now have my first job thanks to my friend Jessica at Trio Solutions. It's a perfect way to start and I'm really excited about wokring right off the bat.
Plus, I've been networking as much as I can. I had two coffee meetings and a lunch meeting this week with more coming next week. When I moved to Seattle almost exactly 5 years ago, networking led me to my first job and it's something that I know is the path to success. It's all about knowing good people.
Alas, my vacation hasn't really existed this week, but I better get used to that I guess.
Late last summer we built a new deck and just as soon as it was done, the good ole Seattle rains came. I've been looking forward to the days when the rains go away and the deck can but put to good use and it seems that they have arrived- albeit temporarlily.
While we were- as Blake calls it "living the interior lifestyle" this winter, we set up a wireless network and I got a new laptop. All the while, thinking about the days ahead when I could use actually do what I consider the holy grail of working from home- working outside on the new deck.
Today, right this minute, I'm doing just that and it feels pretty dang good. Thanks to the wireless network, I can sit here with the wind in my hair, passing airliners in my ear and do productive stuff online. Granted, it doesn't work too well in bright sunlight and I can't use all the peripherals, but dang it's nice out here.
Wired News: Working Remotely, Robots in Place
"...Hewlett-Packard scientists say the most natural way to "meet" when people are not face to face is to use robots.
Hewlett-Packard doesn't consider it a robot, but a "surrogate," since it would have the face and the voice of the person who remotely controls it."
To me, this is a little silly- even though it's just a research project. Maybe in many many years the thought of remote controlled robots will feel like a more realistic alternative to face-to-face meetings. For now though I completely agree with this quote from Kent Kappen at Placeware
"Let's use the tools and solutions in (a company's) office, rather than having to go out and buy more hardware,"
Kappen said his company's research shows that most people who use Web conferencing don't care if their faces are on a monitor. They would rather have the ability to work on their PowerPoint presentations and "get stuff done" than look at each other in a meeting, he said.
Web conferencing platforms already allow web cam integration so that the metting attendees can see the face of the presenter in real time.
While it's a neat toy, I don't think this one is going solve any communication problems any time soon.
Link from Boing Boing
This weekend we installed moulding in the bedroom. During the Christmas break, we painted the bedroom with moulding in mind- leaving some parts of the wall and ceiling unfinished.
Finally, we got around to getting it up...
We got 4 12' crown moulding pieces and four corner pieces (not sure what they're called). The corner pieces are nice because you don't have to cut any angles- plus they look pretty fancy.
The first thing we did was sanded and painted the moulding and corner pieces with white satin finish paint. They come primed in white, but the paint makes em shine.
Next, we watched the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and let the paint dry. Then we used 1.5" finishing nails and hung the corner pieces. It's hard because our house is old and not square. We broke one piece and super glued it back together.
After the corner pieces were in, we used the miter saw to cut the moulding- using the tried and true method "measure twice- cut once". For us, it was cut it long and then keep cutting until it's perfect.
We used the same 1.5" finishing nails to hang the moulding. Since the walls aren't square we used screws in a couple of places to make the moulding flush with the wall.
It's OK if the moulding isn't perfectly flush with the corner pieces, we went back with painters caulk and filled in the gaps...
Finally we wiped down the moulding and went back over the nails with paint and we were done...
Wired 11.06: 'If We Run Out of Batteries, This War is Screwed.'
I was just catching up on an issue of Wired on a recent trip and got into the article about how technology is being used in the US military. Of course, the things that caught my interest were how they are using social online communication tools to speed the decision making process. From what I can gather from the article, chat and instant messaging were used for the first time in the Iraqi war as a means of communicating with soldiers in the field.
One example they use is when a convoy came upon a some dead sheep by the roadside- a possible sign of a chemical attack. They used MS Chat to send a message to an Intelligence Officer 200 miles away and got an immediate response.
If this had been Gulf War I, the convoy would have lost a full day - calling in the incident by radio, describing it to three or four rungs up the command ladder, and waiting for a crew of specialists to arrive, test the air, and give the all-clear. But this war is different. An email gives the sheep's coordinates to a chemical investigation team, and the convoy just keeps moving.
It’s a little surprising to me that the military is using chat, but it does make sense. I guess it’s surprising because so few businesses have used IM/chat as a business communication tool. Like so many innovations before them, online communication tools may need to pass the military test in order for the conservative businesses to see them as something other than social tool. Perhaps the military’s successful implementation of these tools will spur business leaders to take a new look.
Swarm theory is also moving online - into chat rooms, an application Mims is pioneering for military purposes. When a problem develops on the battlefield, a soldier radios a Tactical Operations Center. The TOC intelligence guy types the problem into a chat session - Mims and his colleagues use Microsoft Chat - and the problem is "swarmed" by experts from the Pentagon to Centcom. Not only is the technology changing the way we maneuver, Mims notes, it's changing the way we think.
Again, thinking about business in these same scenarios, I wonder why businesses haven’t jumped onto these technologies more quickly- especially with offices being more distributed, travel more expensive and technology more available. My guess would be that it’s a little “too risky” for business to spend money on new ways to communicate without tried and tested return on investment analysis. Hopefully the business case is being made by the military now.
Also, this made me laugh…
"What's funny about using Microsoft Chat," he adds with a sly smile, "is that everybody has to choose an icon to represent themselves. Some of these guys haven't bothered, so the program assigns them one. We'll be in the middle of a battle and a bunch of field artillery colonels will come online in the form of these big-breasted blondes. We've got a few space aliens, too."
In typical style, Weird Al Yankovic spoofs Eminem's song "Lose Yourself". This kills me. Check it out here: Couch Potato
Linked from Defective Yeti.
Las Vegas is dry and hot. After living in the great northwet for 5 years, Vegas seems like a whole other planet. In fact, it's not just the weather that makes it feel alien. There is something quite surreal about that place, something truly American and a little scary.
I found myself being sucked into the whole idea that I'm there to gamble and losing money is part of the price of admission. I'd see guys beside me sit and blow through 100s of dollars in minutes without a thought. Then I'd look at my 10 dollar bet and feel like I was inadequate- like I wasn't really doing it the right way. Old men with gold watches, bad rugs and blurry forearm tattoes let me know too- especially if I hit in blackjack when I should have held. This is really not a healthy feeling and I really tried to keep things in perspective but the Vegas culture just pulls you in.
Before Vegas, we were in San Francisco for a whirlwind weekend that included the graduation of Sachiko's cousin Allison from the USF School of Law. SF is such a killer city. There always seems like there is so much to do, so many places to eat, so many bars and clubs, it seems to go on and on. Seattle doesn't seem like that and I think that's OK. It can be too much some times.
We did other stuff too and met some interesting people. Here are some pics form the trip...
Sachiko's family is from Hawaii and the celebratory tradition of the lei is a big part of graduations. These leis were brought over from Hawaii especially for the graduation. Congrats to Ali! Her family is very very proud.
We had a blast doing an ATV tour on Tuesday. We took the ATVs through the desert to this dry lake bed where we could make like it was the salt flats and go as fast as we wanted.
Here's Sachiko on the flats.
We learned that 4000 Dominoes Pizza folks from around the country had descended upon Vegas when we were there. Above is LeAnne from Bahstahn (Boston)- one of the most extroverted people I've ever met. While we were at this bar, she went to every section (4-5 in all) and had them yell "Viva Las Vegas" on the count of three. Upon taking this picture, she said, "If you go home and tell your friends that this is LeAnne a loud drunk b*tch from Boston, I'll be very proud." Here ya go LeAnne...
All in all a good ole time. I came back having made most of my Blackjack losses back on Three Card Poker- a cool game. I got to be with three generations of the Sullivan family, whose generosity and hospitality made the trip memorable and exciting.
So I've been without email and Internet access for about a week- probably the longest time offline in a couple of years and it wasn't bad at all. I missed posting here, but it was good to take a break and gain some perspective through multiple days of voluntarily giving money to the giant money machines that are Las Vegas casinos. Such unscrupulous fun.
Pics coming tomorrow...
We're off to San Fran and Vegas till Thursday. Wish me luck- I'm planning to bet all the money I've saved for being independent on high stakes keno. ;-)
Yesterday was very heart warming- and not just because I was on the radio. :-) About 12 of my friends from my last job met me and Sachiko in Bellevue for a little going-away/freedom party for yours truly. We had beers, lots of laughs and got too loud (The manager of the new fancy-pants Pagliacci's in Bellevue went off on us for being too loud).
Anyway, I was presented with a going away present that I didn't expect and it was the best thing they could have done. It was a framed version of the image below, containing various body parts from folks I consider great friends:
Big thanks to all who donated their bodies and to Sachiko and Anthony for the graphics work. I will never forget it!
Did I mention that the new Pagliacci's in Bellevue isn't good for groups or people who like to laugh? If you go- please use your library voice- it is a pizza joint after all.
So today I listened to KUOW Weekday's focus on blogs and called in and actually got on the air! I was the guy at the end talking about a blog as a resume. I probably sounded like a goofball, but it was a cool experience.
I heard about the whole KOUW thing from Anita Rowland's site, so it was good to hear her on there. I thought she and Matthew from Defective Yeti did a good job representin'.
One thing that I personally would have liked to go into is how the form and function of web logs can be used in more general ways that allow organizational sites out there to have some personality and a personal voice- something they often need badly. But, I'm a nerd that way.
I thought it was cool that one caller said they were using Blogger for the content of her school's web sites (the best I remember). I think we'll see the concept of blogging being used for much more than personal sites soon.
After seeing blogs, other sites seem so stale. Good or bad, I think that's where things are headed.
Ahh yeah... Good to see Seablogs get some press. Just got on today and I've been looking for something like it... I'm tracking back to it with this post...
There have been a couple of recent articles and blog entries that framed a lot of what I believe about how weblogs, online communities, etc. are changing corporate communication. These articles predict a shift in the relationship between customer and company- a shift that can help companies if they choose to seize the opportunity.
Whenever a new tool or process-such as e-mail- expands communications, the effects are far-reaching and dramatic. Even though blogs have been around for 3-4 years, they could be the next big thing.
Blogs Are The "Real Voice"
Two important characteristics of blogs are that they are written by a person who is knowledgeable and passionate about the topic, and that they are written in a "real voice." This is a cosmic shift from the marketing and public relations materials that are the staple of business communications.
Blog Entry: It's Time For Marketing To Embrace Weblog Concepts & Technologies
For the Sake Of Clarity: The Digital Tavern.
Point is, Weblogs may have succeeded where corporate marketing websites have failed. That is to communicate a voice that is focused, clear and representative of the organization, to establish a relationship with customers that goes beyond the traditional buyer-seller transaction, to consistently update and provide content that is interesting and provides incentives to customers to return on a regular basis and provides added value through a feedback system that is open and unedited where ideas, concepts and opinions are discussed openly and freely.
This stuff is what my new career is all about.
To reflect my transition to the independent world, I have updated my bio to include information about my role with the Solucient Online Community in the past tense.
Wired 11.06: Copy Protection Is a Crime
Check it out- my first ever post during business hours. I've only posted after work until now.
Anyway, this is another great essay by David Weinberger. He has a great way of describing the digital world in terms that make sense to normal people. I like the way he talks about technology.
Here is an excerpt that is talking about how digital rights management (one option for protecting copyright holders) works against people's needs to bend the rules...
The usual criticism is that the scheme gives too much power to copyright holders. But there's a deeper problem: Perfect enforcement of rules is by its nature unfair. For contrast, consider how imperfectly rules are applied in the real world.
If your lease stipulates that you can't paint without explicit permission from your landlord, you will nevertheless patch up the scratches made by your yappy little dog on the bottom of the front door. If the high-priced industry analyst's report warns you on every page against duplicating, you'll still hand out at your weekly sales meeting copies of a page with a relevant chart. You'd snicker at the very suggestion of doing otherwise.
But why? The analyst report is stamped 'DO NOT PHOTOCOPY', and the bit in your lease about not painting really couldn't be any clearer. We chuckle because we all understand that before the law there's leeway - the true bedrock of human relationships. Sure, we rely on rules to decide the hard cases, but the rest of the time we cut one another a whole lot of slack. We have to. That's the only way we humans can manage to share a world. Otherwise, we'd be at one another's throats all the time - or, more exactly, our lawyers would be at each other's throats.
Yet we're on the verge of instituting digital rights management. What do computers do best? Obey rules. What do they do worst? Allow latitude. Why? Because computers don't know when to look the other way.
We're screwed. Not because we MP3 cowboys and cowgirls will not have to pay for content we've been "stealing." No, we're screwed because we're undercutting the basis of our shared intellectual and creative lives. For us to talk, argue, try out ideas, tear down and build up thoughts, assimilate and appropriate concepts - heck, just to be together in public - we have to grant all sorts of leeway. That's how ideas breed, how cultures get built. If any public space needs plenty of light, air, and room to play, it's the marketplace of ideas.
Link from BoingBoing.
Today was my last day as the Solucient Online Community Manager. It's an exciting day for me as my life as a free agent has officially begun. I'll miss the Solucient Online Community and I wish it well, but it's now time to get the real party started. Can I get a hell yeah?
This year is the first that we've planted bulbs and it's been exciting to see them grow so far. I wanted to be able to share pictures of colorful flowers on Mother's Day, but they just didn't cooperate. :-)
This picture was taken just before we left for New Orleans. 4/21/03. These are Gladiolas.
Here are the same Gladiolas on Mother's Day 5/11/03.
Just today we saw a first glimpse of a Jumbo Elephant Ear (above) coming out of the ground. It will be interesting to watch grow as it is supposed to get really big- really fast.
Salam Pax, the mysterious Iraqi blogger is back online via an email service in Baghdad. As expected and posted here, he was recording his experiences throughout the war. They have been posted to his site on the behalf of his friend Diana.
Here is her info:
Salam Pax sent me this in a Word attachment earlier today. After weeks of silence everything's happening at once: yesterday I received an email from his cousin with his satellite phone number. Salam sounds fine. We discussed as many things as we could in a short amount of time. Without further ado, I present his latest posts.
I haven't had a chance to read everything, but it's a pretty impressive diary/daily account account of what it was like to be an Iraqi in Baghdad during the war. Check it out here.
It's good to know he's OK and back at it again...
I think there may be some folks visiting this site for the first time that may wonder exactly what I'm trying to do here. Let me explain...
This site is a web log, often called a "blog". It's basically an online diary- a way for me to share my thoughts and observations with the world. I'm really passionate about online commmunication, so my blog focuses on on this subject - along with lots of random posts. You should be able to get to know me through my posts on this web site.
It's an interactive experience. I don't expect everyone to agree with what I post here and I really want to hear what you have to say. Just leave a comment...
I'm not selling anything here. Though I aspire to have a web site soon that does focus on my business- this is site is purely info about me and my interests. I think of this site as a service to folks with which I share common interests- a way to get to know folks out there like me.
If this is your first time here, I hope you dig it and will come back.
I think I'm pretty literate when it comes to understanding descriptions of technology. I probably know the jargon better than I know the jargon for automotive repair or publishing I'd say. But still, I'm completely baffeled by the way that some popular sites communicate about technology.
I was looking to point a friend to a site about Intranet basics, so I went to Google and searched for "Intranet basics" and the first result on the list was to a site called Intranet Journal. I thought it would surely be what I was looking for... Google works ya know.
I landed on a part of the site called "Intranet Basics", which contained this definition of an Intranet:
In' tra net - n. 1) a network connecting an affiliated set of clients using standard internet protocols, esp. TCP/IP and HTTP. 2) an IP-based network of nodes behind a firewall, or behind several firewalls connected by secure, possibly virtual, networks.
This language continues throughout their tour of the Intranet basics.
Does anyone have a techno decoder ring? This hits home for me because it's another example of a barrier to understanding and accepting technology. As long as technology "basics" are described in the language of a technologist, the majority of people out there will continue to feel alienated by technology.
I was encouraged to see that Dictionary.com has a more usable definition of "Intranet":
A privately maintained computer network that can be accessed only by authorized persons, especially members or employees of the organization that owns it.
You know, months ago I thought that the final weeks of work would be somewhat worry free. I pictured myself letting go of some of the pressures of the job and coasting along until the last day. The typical short-timers attitude. Ahh, sweet nirvana.
As it turns out, I'm not exactly coasting. It's more like racing. I'm putting pressure on myself to make sure the community is set up for success over the transition and there isn't a lot that I want to change about the way I'm handling it. Right now I've got 6 work days left and a lot to do.
Of course, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I need to get about a million things done before that last day arrives. I figure if I know I've done everything I can to prepare the program, it'll make freedom more sweet. So I'm gonna try to get it done. My friends at work wonder what is wrong with me sometimes and why I'm not relaxing a little in the final days.
I just can't wait to only have one job instead of working all day on a real job and all night on a new one. I need some Lee time. :-)
Wireless Librarian: Libraries with Wireless Networks
For anyone that may not be familiar, a wireless network (sometimes called wi-fi) allows a computer (usually a laptop) to connect to the Internet at high speed without being physically connected to a wire.
It's a growing trend and I think that within 5-7 years whole cities and the freeways will be covered with these connections. This will allow people to move around without ever losing a high speed Internet connection.
Right now the access is somewhat limited and the places covered by a wireless connnection are called "Hot Spots". You can find and connect to a hotspot near you in the articlehere.
By the way, here are the libraries in Seattle with wireless connections:
Odegaard Undergraduate Library; University of Washington; Seattle, WA
Foster Business Library, University of Washington; Seattle, WA
I think Seattle U has it too, but it's not on the list...
I think one of the hardest parts of this transition to independence will be letting go of the Solucient Online Community and it’s members. Soon I will be sending a message to all 3900 members that alerts them that I’ve resigned my position as the OC manager. Right now I’m trying to figure out what to say in the message.
This wasn't just a job for me. For over three years now, I’ve gotten up every weekday morning and moderated messages from the online community. This has always set the tone for my day. If there were lots of interesting posts, it would put a spring in my step. Likewise, low participation would worry me. It’s going to be hard to wake up and not think about what has been posted and have the interaction with folks I’ve come to know through the years. There will be a void in that part of my life that will take some getting used-to.
The community has always been something that was my creation- something I built that worked and people liked. It was my baby. I feel very lucky to have experienced such a personal connection with my job, and thankful that Solucient allowed me to pursue my passion with such freedom. But, it's time for the next adventure.
At least I have the confidence that I’m doing the right thing for my career- I know in my heart it’s time to move on and I’m well prepared. Plus, the community is firmly in place and I have no doubt that the best years are yet to come.
Though it’s hard for me to grasp, I’m about to draft the note to say goodbye to everyone in my last days as the online community manager. What can I say?
Online Community Report Interview: June Forkner-Dunna and Sylvia Marino, KP Online
This is from another of Jim Cashel's interviews in the Online Community Report. This one hit home as it focuses on a couple of subjects that are near and dear. Healthcare online communities and measuring online communities.
The interview is with June Forkner-Dunna and Sylvia Marino, who led the project to measure the Kaiser Permanente online community's content to find out the impact of the community on diabetes patients.
I've grappled with this subject of community content measurement for a while in the community I manage. It is so very hard to draw a direct line between participation and the bottom line. As they relate in the interview, it may require sophisticated programs- but cheap and effective software for this kind of analysis may be on the horizon. I liked this quote:
It may be that Content Analysis modules will be built into the more evolved community platforms in the future. Just as the community software suite gives you message boards, chats and polls, it would also provide the community manager with a Content Analysis tool just as it does standard statistical tools to measure page views, members, etc.
For me personally, this can not come too soon.
Ha ha- very funny. Someone out there signed up for email notifications with a sweet email address: leeisatool@hotmail.com. I'm in awe of their sheer creativity. Who would have thought that signing up for an email notification could be such a great way to communicate.
It kinda reminds me of making a collect call using "Be home at 9" as your name.
Being that my whole goal in quitting my job my is independence, I've been doing some research on exactly what this means. I'm about to start reading Free Agent Nation, by Dan Pink. It's in the mail now.
I also signed up the Free Agent Nation newsletter. I was checking out the last issue in 2002 and saw this quote from Justin O'Farrell - it made me smile...
"I found it hard working really long hours when I was my own boss. The boss kept giving me the afternoon off. Sometimes he gave me the morning off as well. Sometimes he'd say, 'Look, you've worked pretty hard today, why don't you take a well-earned rest tomorrow.' If I overslept, he never rang me to ask where I was; if I was late to my desk he always happened to turn up at exactly the same time; whatever excuse I came up with, he always believed it. Being my own boss was great. Being my own employee was a disaster, but I never thought about that side of the equation."
I've been working with my homey and graphic designer extraordinaire Anthony at The Useful Arts to get a feel for the Common Craft look and feel. We have a way to go, but I'm into this logo...not sure about the tag line yet...
I'd been meaning to join CPsquare for a while. I know one of the founders, John Smith, and I've always thought it was a great idea. Just the other day they slashed the membership fees by about 2/3- just in the nick of time too. Being that I just quit my job- this was very good news.
In a newbie nutshell, it's membership based community of practitioners, academics, consultants, hobbyists, organizations, etc. that all come together to learn from each other and experiment with communities of practice.
It seems like the online community/communities of practice world is pretty small and in need of a place to work together. That's why I'm excited about CPSquare- I look forward to geeking-out with people around the world who are interested in the field. The international attraction is really interesting- it's truly an international community.
I'm just getting started, so I don't have a lot to say other than it looks promising and I think it will be an important learning resource for my work with Common Craft.
Check out the public site here: CPsquare