Category: Uncategorized

Brad Feld helps me extend my list of meaningless phrases that should never be used to include World Class. [here]
Since I consciously started considering every word that I say, and making a very conscious effort to try and use the simple instead of the complex, I find that I am much more aware of what I used to say, and how ridiculous it sounded.
So, when you could say “We have a Best Practices process that is World Class”, translate into the Feld-ese: We suck less, and we will help you suck less.
What other phrases are there that we all use to try and fit in? What other crap have we polluted our language with?

The Moleskinerie (A Moleskine fan/Bzzzz blog) agrees with me that the Stationery is Bad campaign is for only some of the digerati elite. [here]
I got my Moleskine Datebook 2 days ago…I love it. As a member of a corporate culture, the Outlook Calendar is an evil necessity. But I am finding that I am far too tactile to live by that alone. I like being able to make random notes about a day on a piece of paper, and hold it in my hands.
I have many of my old datebooks, and when I look back over them, I can vividly remember the events that I note, remember why a to-do was so important, and have access to the memories with a simple glance.
PDAs and calendaring software allows us to have an extreme focus on the present; journals and physical datebooks allow us to remember the past.
I am off to purchase an Accordion Folder now….

 
If I could, this is what I would boil my travelling package down to. Brian Mitchell has manage to simplify his life to where I am aiming for.

Read this. It is an amazingly well-researched and detailed description of how depression — bio-chemical depression — works on a person.

I have upgraded the blog software to b2evo 0.9.0.12. Downtime was approximately 2 minutes.
Please let me know if you encounter any bizarre behaviour.

Dave Winer is acting as a BzzzzzAgent for Gather.com. [here]
Looks interesting…they are looking for subject-matter experts to contribute content….

I am in the market for a new tech gadget/Moleskine carry bag. My Targus backpack is to small and unwieldy, and frankly a little unprofessional even for me.
I am looking for a bag that can:

• Comfortably handle 2 wide-screen laptops (don’t have two now, but that Powerbook can’t be too many eons away…)
• Can easily carry a Rhodia notebook, a couple of Moleskines, and a Hipster PDA
• Room for two books for reading
• Room for a digital music device, iPod-sized (someday I will have one…)
• Many pockets for G2 Gel Pens, business cards, wires and stuff
• Possibly enough room for a change of clothes

No leather. I want something that is as low maintenance as possible. Possibly capable af absorbing the blast of a hand gernade, or the contents of a bottle of micro-distillery tequila without noticable damage.
Let me know what you use, what you lust after.

 
David Parmet points to my dream bag in the comments: The Waterfield Cargo

Oooooo….Ahhhhhh! Michael Hyatt introduces me to a possible candidate in this process: The MegaMedia Bag.

Brian Mitchell suggests the Timbuk2 Commute XL…looks yummy!

Scott Berkun’s Art of Product Management is out. If the book is anything like his reasoned and thoughtful monthly essays, you must buy it.
Now.

Oh look! Brand managers think that the Dinosaur campaign is a clear and concise way to break through the clutter…[here]
…and insult users who have a perfectly functional piece of software (Office 97, 2000, XP) by calling them dinosaurs.
Hugh is right: Branding is Dead

Skip Angel has a great post describing the concept of a Leadership Barometer.
The Low Pressure description is a very accurate portrayal of management climates I have worked in. A number of managers I have seen in action, in a somewhat misguided attempt to keep us informed, tell the team about the battles they have lost, the projects they have been forced to do, and share their personal opinions of senior leadership.
I don’t need to know this. I need to know how things are getting better. The battles we are facing. And how a manager is going to motivate us to achieve great things.
I want straight talk; but sometimes, I don’t need all the details.

Ummm…wow. This points to a catastrophic failure in the backup power systems in this hosting facility. [here and here and here]
TDavid makes a very good point: when your systems become large enough, the power consumption alone would stun most people. One article points out that in 2001, a new Qwest facility in Sunnyvale,CA would require enough power to drive 1.2 million families. Another http://www.masselec.com/news/spring_summer_2001/News5.htm about a hosting facility in Billerica, MA talks about having six (6) 1.5 MEGAWATT backup generators.
You have to imagine what the power demands of Google’s 100,000 servers must be, even distributed worldwide.