Mon, 26 Jul 2010

Summer, Great for boys and geese . . .

Summer is a great time to be a kid . . . or a goose. But it seems that summer for kids is a lot shorter than when I was that age. I took this picture in the evening at a lake. Both my boys and the goose seem to be enjoying just being part of summer. Summer for my kids--now all in highschool--runs from the end of May to the middle of August. Middle of August! I don't ever remember going back to school until after Labor Day (the first Monday in September here in the US). What happened to those days when you could just be a kid?

Seems like a shame to me. So much summer wasted by being at school.

posted 09:29 [/Thoughts] permanent link

Sat, 17 Jul 2010

I don't like . . . sounds that play on entry

to a site . . .

I generally try to be a positive individual, but, there are some things that I don't like. One of them is sites that play music the minute you enter the site. I may be in a place, like the library, where this is very annoying. Don't do it. Give the user the choice of listening to sounds or not before blasting something at them. Especially annoying is background music which is just there like the elevator!

posted 17:05 [/Thoughts] permanent link

Sat, 10 Jul 2010

Social Networking Thoughts #1

Facebook, You Tube, Google Sites, Twitter . . . the list goes on and on. People seem to have a need to put out information about themselves. Some are trying to sell things, some to promote things, some, just to be seen. There are blogs, tweets, videos, sites, and all the combinations there of. The trick seems to be to drive visitors to some action or to make money from advertising (views and clicks). Most, I would suspect, aren't all that successful. Some go viral and result in thousands or even millions of views. Some languish while others thrive. I'm going to spend some time investigating this for my own education. I'll write what I find here and in the Bob Breedlove blog to share my insights. I'm going to promote my boy's skateboarding passion through their sites:

• Addicted 2 Skateboarding
• D2JR09 at You Tube

It will be an interesting experiment as I'm an old guy who, if I ever got on a skateboard would probably mame myself badly! But what the heck. I'm going to go for it. Our objective is to make some money from advertising (views, clicks), spread the word about skateboarding, and have some fun. Watch this space and the Bob Breedlove blog for more information on our adventures.

posted 08:51 [/Social_Networks] permanent link

Wed, 07 Jul 2010

A RADIO Photographer!?

This morning I heard an interview with a National Public Radio (NPR) PHOTOGRAPHER. That's right, a radio photographer. It shows the interconnectedness of the various media formats. Here, a photographer is employed for the NPR website. The page on which the photographer's work is displayed is called "The Picture Show". It's interesting that the comments on the page -- mainly from people who grew up in this interconnected media world -- see nothing unusual about a radio photographer. They take it in stride that NPR will have an associated website and would probably find it strange if they didn't have a photographer, videographer of otherwise connect their audio stories to visual media.

What does this say for everyone? To me it says present your message in as many and varied ways as you can. Use one medium to drive people (customers) to other media where you can maximize the monetization of your product.

posted 06:51 [/Media] permanent link

Sat, 03 Jul 2010

My boys are . . .

Addicted 2 Skateboarding

It's their new blog site all about their favorite activity -- skateboarding.

Yes, I know the entries have my name on them, but they are really from the boys. I'm just providing the platform as part of my blogosphere. An old timer like me can appreciate the activity, but actually doing it requires ayounger body and legs.

The boys also have a You Tube site which is connected to the blog.

On their blog, the boys plan to share tips and tricks. They have been skateboarding for about two years and want to share their passion with others as they learn. They will take the rider into the videos that they use and point out the finer points through their comments to help land the tricks. They plan to get into everything skateboarding. If you're into everything to do with skateboarding, you should check it out. (Hey! If you are into skateboarding, what are you doing here?)

By the way, the image at the right is ME, not the boys. Actually, if I tried skateboarding, the image probably should be of me in traction rather than just kicking the board.

posted 07:42 [/WebSite] permanent link

Sat, 26 Jun 2010

Ideas Come at Strange Times

I recently saw a blog about notepads. The idea was to have one available at all times. I'd like to extend that thought a bit. Ideas come to me at the oddest times -- most of them inconvenient to actually write them down. Then, of course, I can't remember that great idea I had in the shower or while driving to work. So I carry a number of notepads with me. Here are a couple of ideas.

Pocket Notebook: I have a simple notebook and pen in the car and one in my bag for quick notes. I also carry a compact pen to give me a writing implement where ever I can find a piece of paper (even my hand in a pinch!).

Smart Phone: I'm a bit behind the times, but I do carry a blackberry for work. It synchronizes with Exchange and I can enter a memo, task, or send an e-mail with the idea. Of course, this doesn't work if I'm in the shower or driving. The phone also has a camera which can be used to capture visual ideas and a voice recorder for capturing speach. Unfortunately, these are difficult to operate while driving, for example, even dangerous to use because of the distraction of getting them set up. I have even been known to call my work phone and leave a message with a good idea.

Digital Voice Recorder: I carry a small, simple voice recorder. It has one hand operation and is great in the car or other places for "jotting down" a quick note to myself. Playback is equally simple. If I'm going to be in the car for an extended period, I will sometimes fire it up and have it ready as long trips tend to be one of those places where something will stimulate an idea.

Microsoft OneNote: This is one of the greatest note taking and thinking programs I have found. It makes it very easy to jot down ideas, organize them, capture websites, and generally get thinking in order. I keep notebooks on a USB stick and can work on them. I have used the Microsoft Skydrive and the online OneNote to track things when the program is not available. Not as functional as the thick client, and I wouldn't trust more than the most mundane notes to the "cloud", but functional.

In short, the idea is to be able to capture your thoughts easily in a form which can later be retrieved and expanded upon.

posted 10:04 [/Thinking] permanent link

Sun, 16 May 2010

Personal Contact

I was using the self-checkout at the market today when I was struck by the extent to which technology is isolating us from personal contact. Even simple things like interacting with the teller is reduced. Have you been to a coffee shop lately? If you don't just rush in and out or even drive through, you see people, often sitting at the same table with their cell phones or laptops out texting to people who aren't at the shop. I have been in a coffee shop in the afternoon which was quieter than a library -- everyone on their laptops in their own little worlds -- the sound of conversation nonexistent. When we walk, we have on our MP3 players, isolating us from even the sounds of the real world.

My wife has proposed that everone should be unplugged for at least half and hour each day. Sort of a luddite period when there is no cell phone, no MP3 player, no laptop, no communication except with any real person within speaking distance of you. Even if you are alone, you can unplug and just listen to the sounds of real things around you. Take a walk and just walk. Don't text while listening to your iPod at highest volume. Go to a coffee shop with a friend and actually just talk to that friend rather than texting to another friend not physically present. Sit quietly and read a book or talk with your family without the media center blaring in the background. I think it's a great idea.

OK, there are times when I want to listen to a podcast while walking or hear that album while reading, but there should be a period each day when we just exist within the realm of our senses and the people and nature around us. When we are open to interaction with people, when we are disconnected from technology.

It's probably a bit ironic that I'm sitting alone at my laptop typing the blog and posting it onto the Internet, but, hey, I have to get your attention somehow. You can disconnect after reading this and take your luddite break for the day.

posted 13:55 [/Technology] permanent link

Thu, 13 May 2010

Original Thinking in Social Media

I wonder just how much original thinking there is in social media. Admitedly, my exposure is somewhat minimal compared to many. I don't frequent Facebook, or other media sites. My exposure is mainly through the 140 character Twitterverse. But, I see a lot of things rephrased, repeated, and retweeted even there. It seems that there is some need to pass on things -- like rumors, I suppose -- rather than create any original thinking. I haven't done any formal investigation, but I wonder if anyone else has. Perhaps I'll have to take a look.

posted 07:18 [/Social_Networks] permanent link

Thu, 29 Apr 2010

Who do you follow?

I have been reworking my list of followers on Twitter. (I don't do Facebook, etc.) I'm looking for people who have things to say that benefit my working life. I am not interested in what celebrity is doing what, dating whom, partying with whatever, getting out of what rehab program. (By the way, I also don't watch reality TV. I really don't care that you're too short and have too many kids, but that's another blog). This exercise got me to thinking about who people follow and how can they possibly keep up with multi-thousands of people. I may, in my spare time . . . not much . . . look into this topic.

posted 08:16 [/Social_Networks] permanent link

Sat, 24 Apr 2010

What's Going on? -- Live Toad

I'm playing with the Live Toad page. That's the place where I try out things. My big thing now is JQuery and related files. I'm having fun trying out their UI system and seeing how it can be applied to web pages. It's fun to try things out, especially since JQuery makes things so easy. I'm looking at all the possibilities and trying out various things to see if I can make them work and increase the glitz factor of the page.

posted 13:54 [/WebSite] permanent link