Open Thread: Staying Creative

How do you stay creative?

- Share your tips, tricks, books, Web sites, and secrets here.

Jaggedsmile Doodles

If you need illustration work for most any project, you have to call on my friend, Jeff.

I am not too bad an illustrator either — my kids love for me to draw for them and their friends because, “My Dad can draw anything!” — but, Jeff’s doodles ROCK! His style, versatility, and whimsy make him fun to work with.

Call or email him…he needs the work. Don’t let his talent go to waste.

Click over to Jaggedsmile and have fun!

Oh, and tell him WeirdGuy sent ya.

Business, Fun, and the Art of Dancing Pt.2

By E. Brown

The response to the first article was so positive I decided to add a little more from this tiny yet timeless book. I have taken the liberty to add bracketed wording to emphasize a business paradigm.

From the Complete Quadrille Call Book and Dancing Master, by Prof. A.C. Wirth, Ex-President of American National Association Masters of Dancing, published in 1902:

Etiquette For The Street

• Avoid any controversy
• Loud conversation should be avoided at all costs
• Never stare at a person, is a rule that has no exceptions
• Never detain a [person] you meet. If you wish to converse, turn and walk in the direction they are going
• Always ask a [person's] pardon for any inadvertence that may occur, whether they are known to you or not

Why Dancing [Business] Changes
People [managers and leaders] are constantly hunting for something new and attractive. All wish to have the honor of having promulgated that which is original, which, if accepted by the public, becomes popular and adds to their fame.

The change of manners and customs, and the fickle fashions [business trends], have greatly contributed to the giving up of the style of dancing that was in vogue a few years ago.

Modesty must not be forgotten in dancing.

Dances that receive applause on the stage in costume, are coarse, indecorous, and ridiculous in the ball room.

For those and many other reasons the professional should exercise good judgment and great care in selecting dances to be taught in the academy, that the influence therefrom will be elevating instead of degenerating to the profession.

The More Things Change…
The more they are still the same. Ever heard that phrase? It is interesting to me that management gurus speak of the changing field of business and how we need to evolve with the times. While it is true, there are certain nuances in business at this point in history that have not been before, the fact still remains — management is really about common sense.

Let me know what you think.

Business, Fun, and the Art of Dancing

By E. Brown

I like books. You can tell from my ever changing reading list in the side bar on the right. Recently, I came across an old book that my father-in-law used to own. He liked to dance and this book was on Square Dancing. I thought some of the content was interesting in light of business practices and cultural changes in America. Feel free to get nostalgic with me.

From the Complete Quadrille Call Book and Dancing Master, by Prof. A.C. Wirth, Ex-President of American National Association Masters of Dancing, published in 1902:

Quadrille:
quad-drille [kwuh-dril]
1. A square dance for four couples, consisting of five parts or movements, each complete in itself.

Etiquette For Ball and Drawing Room

• Avoid slang phrases
• Do not contradict
• Give your opinions, but do not argue them
• Dancing is subject to abuse by the thoughtless acquirements of bad habits
• Never take part in a quadrille without knowing something of the figures
• While dancing, endeavor to wear a pleasant face
• Never seem to be conscious of an affront, unless it be of a very gross nature
• Never become involved in a dispute if it be possible to avoid it
• Nothing charms more than candor
• Never repeat in one company any scandal or personal history you have heard in another
• Contending for a position in quadrilles indicates an irritable and quarrelsome disposition
• The most obvious mark of good breeding and taste is a regard for the feelings of our companions
• Be careful not to speak too freely on subjects of which you are ill informed. Allow those who are better informed to lead the conversation
• Never seem to understand improper expressions; much less use them
• If you have in any manner given offense do not hesitate to apologize
• Loud conversation, profanity, stamping the feet, writing on the wall, using tobacco, spitting or throwing anything on the floor, are glaring vulgarities (This one made me smirk — ever seen this in a Boardroom?)
• It is very indecorous to be laughing, sneering, or commenting at those present. It shows a lack of refinement
• True politeness costs nothing, but yields the largest interest and profit to the possessor of any know securities

We’ve Come a Long Way Baby

I almost called this article, The Quadrille of Business. I thought it applicable. As you scan through the comments and content above, did you see anything that tied to business? Which ones stood out? Which ones made you laugh? Which ones made you think?

It is interesting to me that though this book was written at the beginning of the last century, the principles are still applicable today. For instance –

Do not contradict
For a boss to say one thing and then do another is damaging to his character and influence. Who will respect a leader when they contradict themselves?

Nothing charms more than candor
Who doesn’t want to be told the truth, even if it is painful? To be open and honest in business will gain you success and prominence over the long term.

Never seem to understand improper expressions; much less use them
I love this one. Ignore those who are trying to provoke you. Take the highroad and be professional. Your accuser will be seen for who and what they really are.

So, I hope you enjoyed this little romp in nostalgia and that maybe, just maybe, you learned a little something too.

Have fun!

Related Links
- Business, Fun, and The Art of Dancing, Pt.2

Google.org and Billanthropy

It is good to see philanthropic efforts by big names in technology. No matter what you may think of Google or Bill Gates it is always good to see a person and/or organization that uses their influence and resources to help around the world.

Google.org
Google.org desires to use the power of information to help people better their lives around the world. They are a self-proclaimed experiment in philanthropy. In addition to financial resources, they leverage Google’s entire family of people and partners, technologies, and other resources to address three growing global problems: climate change, global public health, and economic development and poverty.

Google realizes these are major concerns for individuals and institutions throughout the world, and therefore, google.org joins a community of like minded groups working to make the planet and population healthier and more equitable.

Visit Google.org

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill and Melinda Gates believe every life has equal value. In 2000, they created the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help reduce inequities, not only in the United States, but around the world. Their primary efforts worldwide go toward global development and global health. Additionally, the foundation works within the U.S. to increase the number of high school graduates, improve the lives of at-risk children, and expand technology and information access through public libraries.

The foundation is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and led by co-chairs Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and William H. Gates Sr., and by CEO Patty Stonesifer.

Visit the Gates Foundation

What About You?
It is easy in the U.S. to think, “I am not rich, I cannot help.” But the fact is, if you make over $30, 000 a year, you are rich compared to the rest of the world. Also, if you make $47,500 a year or more you are in the top 1 percent of the richest people in the world! That means that there are 5,940,000,000 people alive today who make less than you do.

Visit www.globalrichlist.com and enter in your annual salary to see where you rank.

Think About
Did you know that about 8.9% of the U.S. population are millionaires?
Forbes says that there are 36 billionaires, worldwide, under the age of 40.

Basilico Ristorante

By E. Brown

Downtown Olympia Washington is a great place for walking. The open air parks and proximity to the coast make it a very nice place to visit during the hot Summer months. If you happen to be looking for dinner while walking downtown, one of your stops should be the Basilico Ristorante.

Located off Capitol Way and Fifth Avenue, the Basilico Ristorante Italiano is a taste of authentic Italy in the American north west. I had the chance to drop by on a recent visit and wanted to share my findings.

Although the menu is filled with mouth-watering fresh hand-made pastas do not neglect the other entrees. While I was visiting I was not looking for a full pasta dish but something lighter with, perhaps, a small plate of noddles on the side. The Smoked Salmon Salad caught my eye.

One of the first things I noticed about Basilico Ristorante was the unique twist they added to their dishes. Before the salad came out I was brought a variety of breads. Typically, I have a small plate of olive oil for dipping the bread into but here it was a little different. They added a daub of couscous in the middle of the plate. Fun!

I thought I would see how accomodating they were and asked for a small plate of pasta on the side as my salad came out. The waiter let me know up front that the pasta was hand-made earlier in the day and may not be as fresh. The fetuccini came out and I had a nice glass of white wine to mix.

Some of the other items that caught my eye were:
Pastas- Italian Riviera Tagliatelle made with prawns, Manila clams, calamari, halibut and salmon in plum tomato sauce, and the Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragu
Salads- Duck Breast Salad and Pear Salad with sweet Gorgonzola
Entree- Angus beef, Rabbit Cacciatora, Crispy skin wild Alaskan Halibut, and Pancetta wrapped Pork loin

For a light dessert I had the Tiramisu. The waiter was kind enough to give me a small glass of sparkling Dessert wine to go with it. Refreshing.

Overall, I found the Basilico Ristorante to be very good. The staff was not overly familiar but they were friendly and attentive. The store, though a shot-gun building, was light and open. The dark stained woods contrasted well with the tile and faux painting. The menu and wine list offered enough variety that should keep patrons returning.

Next time you are in Olympia, Washington I may see you at the Basilico Ristorante.

Bon Appétit!

*For more on restaurants, food, and recipes, visit the Grub category of WeirdGuy Blog.

Luck, Chance, or Providence?

By E. Brown

We’re not as smart as we like to think we are.

Side Bar
I know many people, some are good friends, who have earned their doctorate. It is interesting to watch them. Some insist on being called “Doctor” while others rarely use the title except on resumes. It seems that those who insist on being called “Doctor” parade around their credentials like a badge, and I suppose with the time and money they spent they feel they have earned the right. Yet, those who I know that are not prone to title-dropping still consider themselves as students. They realize they are not as smart as their press makes them out to be. They have come to the humble understanding that they still have much to learn. I like these people.

When starting up or heading up a company/organization it is easy to fall into the trap that says– “I have earned this position, therefore call me Chief, President, Director, Boss, Doctor…” and the list goes on. Have you truly earned the position? Earned the right? Or, could it have been something else?

Luck or Chance
Marc Andreessen has been wrestling with this idea. You remember Marc, right? Does the name Netscape ring any bells? As an entrepreneur and (many would say) intelligent guy, Marc seems to recognize that he’s not as smart as he thinks he is or as others give him credit for. In his recent post, Luck and the entrepreneur, part 1: The four kinds of luck, Marc comments:

Luck is something that every successful entrepreneur will tell you plays a huge role in the difference between success and failure. Many of those successful entrepreneurs will only admit this under duress, though, because if luck does indeed play such a huge role, then that seriously dents the image of the successful entrepreneur as an omniscient business genius.

Moreover, some of those people would shrug and say that luck is simply out of your hands. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. But perhaps there’s more to it than that.

read more…

He goes on to say that chance/luck favors those that are:

• Energetic
• Curious
• Aggressive at synthesizing
• Developing a unique personal perspective

Are these personal traits manufactured or are they part of who a person already is? The practices listed above come more naturally to some than others. Is that truly chance or is that making yourself available to options and opportunities?

Providence
If you’re given over to spiritual thoughts, how does providence fit in?

It is interesting to hear people talk about what motivates them now and what used to motivate them one, two, five, or ten years ago. When ever there has been a big change in their lives it has usually been due to some kind of outside influence that dramatically changed how they viewed themselves and those around them.

For some, there has been a complete character change — e.g. from lazy and apathetic to energized and inspired. Relatives and friends speak of them as having been transformed. What does that mean? How does that kind of thing happen? Did they work at it? Is it luck, chance, or providence?

Regardless, there seem to be a set of principles, that when applied yield similar, if not the same, results. One such idea is mentioned in my article, The Power Principle.

Like the Law of Gravity, there seem to exist ideals and principles that are non-negotiable: A + B = C. There also seem to be variations based upon individual responses to these principles. Each has differing consequences.

So, back to luck and chance. How about you — have you gotten to the point where you are in life because of luck or chance? Do you feel you have worked your way into your position? Let me ask you, how much control do you truly think you have?

Let me know what you think. Comment here.

“Brick Method” of Hiring

I’ll ask for forgiveness up front. This may have been running around the Web for a while, but I just saw it and had to chuckle. Since part of my blog interests center around business, leadership, fun, and management I thought I would throw this out for…well, for fun.

How To Properly Assign New Employees

Put 400 bricks in a room. Put your new hires in the room and close the door. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours. Then analyze the situation:

1. If they are counting the bricks, put them in the Accounting Department.
2. If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.
3. If they have messed up the whole place with bricks, put them in Engineering.
4. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.
5. If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.
6. If they are sleeping, put them in Security.
7. If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in IT.
8. If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.
9. If they say they have tried different combinations, they are looking for more, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.
10. If they have already left for the day, put them in Management.
11. If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.
12. If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management.

More Humorous Reads
- The Evolution of Pants
- Waiting On WiFi
- No Purses Reason #56
- No Purses Reason #123

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Niche Blogging Is So Passé

I have read the advice about niche blogging — find and write to a narrow niche. Like you, I have also read additional blogging tips and hints such as:

1. Set up your blog so each post gets a URL
2. Think “database” as you blog so it is easy to search on
3. Post frequently and regularly
4. Use images in your posts as needed
5. Make friends and link with other bloggers
6. Interact with readers often
7. Allow readers to make comments

I have found, however, that you have to take what works for you. If, like me, you have a love of many things and your interests vary, then writing to a niche can be tedious or even boring. As I’ve said on my Blog page, the contents of this blog attempt to bring awareness and synergy to the creative, technological, community building, and online learning disciplines. The articles on these pages are aimed at the leadership/management and employees in these vocations. My desire is to present information that inspires readers to apply, and challenge those around them to apply, what they learn — and to have fun while doing so.

Did you pick up on those areas of interest?:

• Creativity
• Technology
• Community Building
• Online Learning
• Leadership and Management
• Fun / Play

That is why I love this recent article by Anne Zelenka. The title of her article says it all: Do You Have To Define a Niche For Your Blog?

I don’t subscribe to the “define your niche and then stick with it” school of blogging. That works great for some blogs and some bloggers and not so well for others. If you hesitate over blogging because you think you must stick to a niche and work it to the tune of 500,000 pageviews a month, think again. You can make blogging rewarding and profitable without getting thousands of RSS subscribers or a Technorati rank in the top 1,000.

read more…

Cock & Bull English Pub

By E. Brown

Located on Main and 6th in downtown Covington Kentucky’s MainStrasse Village is the Cock & Bull English Pub. The Pub was founded in 1999 by Craig Johnson who vowed to never have a domestic beer on tap. Known locally for their hard to find selection of English Beers, the Cock & Bull also sports an award winning menu that is worth the visit.

A wide rich wood bar dominates the interior. The atmosphere takes you back to the old world where you can always find good conversation and good drink.

I tried the Fish-and-Chips with a nice glass of Brown Ale. The fish was fresh, light, and crispy — deserving of it’s award status. I have had similar items that left your fingers wet with grease, but not the Cock & Bull’s.

Appetizers
The appetizers included your standard fare for Pub-type foods. The Bavarian Pretzels were fun and the Spring Pinwheels were a surprise.

Sandwiches and Wraps
Again, what you would expect of a pub in the way of sandwiches, although the Cock & Bull Hot Brown looked like a tasty treat:

Hot roasted turkey and ham, sliced tomatoes, atop a grilled English muffin, then blanketed in our tasty beer cheese sauce. Two large strips of bacon complete this hearty “Kentucky” Pub meal — served with Pub Chips or fries.

In addition, they served burgers and crab cakes. However, if you felt you needed a little more to fill you up, the Cock & Bull offered steaks marinated in their secret recipe Jim Beam sauce.

Open 7 days a week this little pub is a nice place to visit if you’re in the greater Cincinnati area. I will definitely be back on my next visit.

*For more on restaurants, food, and recipes, visit the Grub category of WeirdGuy Blog.

“It’s All About Me”

By E. Brown

If you’ve read this blog consistently, you will quickly come to the realization that I am a big proponent of collaboration and teamwork. For me, this cuts across internal and external business relationships.

Whenever I meet with someone, I am thinking, “How can we work together?” and “How can I help them succeed?” Unfortunately, the feelings are not always reciprocal.

I was introduced to a young businessman several months back. Although he appeared to be “sharp” and willing to collaborate, I got the distinct signals that this was “lip service” only. This proved to be true later on after repeated attempts to contact him. This man was only interested in relationships that furthered his agenda.

After reading the paragraph above you may say, “He was only being intentional and purposeful in his relationships. Why continue in a relationship when there is no value?” To which I would say, if you are self-centered then this statement is true. However, if you are “other-centered” then every relationship has value.

Everyone deserves respect and courtesy. Even if it is to respond to another by saying, “Sorry, I cannot get back to you — let’s touch base in 2 weeks” or “Got your email — thanks” or “Now is not the best time to talk — can I call you back?”

Transitions
We are at an interesting time in labor history. A new generation of worker is entering the ranks. Gen Y workers are smart, tech savvy, and interested in collaborative environments where they can feel they are part of something bigger than themselves.

All one has to do is look online or talk to High School and college kids about the way they study and work on projects. It is highly creative and collaborative (See Knowledge Economy vs. Web Economy).

Man (or Woman) In The Mirror
So what kind of worker are you? Are you interested in only yourself? Only interested in furthering your career agenda at the sake of others? Do you have relationships only with those people you can use for your goals?

A day may be coming when you wish you had teammates around you. People who challenge you, care about you, and work with you — not for you.

Rafiki, the shrewd baboon from Disney’s The Lion King, had wise words when he asked, “So, what are you going to do?” Good question for us all. Think about your current relationships, personal and business. Now, what are you going to do?

Let me know in the comments section below.

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Knowledge Economy vs. Web Economy

Anne Truitt Zelenka, editor at large for Web Worker Daily and owner of Anne Truitt Zelenka – A Blog About the Connected Age, writes about the difference between the “old” Drucker mentality of executive work and the “new” Attention mentality of Web related work.

Web workers do not start with their tasks or with their time. They start with their attention. And they do not start out with planning or by finding out where their time actually goes. They start by finding where their attention wanders, and what gives them energy and increased attention. Then they attempt to let their attention flow freely and to cut back on redundant or tired information sources that demand their attention without providing new ideas or insight. Finally they combine what they have found into something new (software, web design, industry analysis, etc.) and make it available on the web where it can earn attention itself and lead to an ongoing multiplication of attention.

read more…

Attention
Some of this thinking is similar to the Attention Economy mentality (as discussed by Thomas Davenport and John Beck in the book of the same name). We all wrestle with what has our attention and what is vying for our attention. Then we in turn crave attention — personal attention and vicarious attention.

Anne goes on to suggest that the Web-based worker needs to expand his/her attention. I’d like to hear more about that topic. It has been my observation that many have trouble expanding their attention. They get pulled off task and run down rabbit trails that lead to…what? Creativity? To something attention grabbing?

Hmmm…

Collaboration
I personally see a lot of value in the collaborative efforts of today’s Web-workers. Yet, I witness a certain amount of discipline within those teams/collaborators that are successful. They hold each other accountable if any of them start to wander or stray too far. There is power in teamwork.

Is there unproductive time involved in collaboration? It all depends on how you view productivity. For many in the creative field, what appears, to some, as unproductive time staring out the window could be the most productive time of their day. On the other hand, being a creative myself, I can definitely say that there have been times when I was staring out the window and it was not productive.

Information
Web-workers are Information-workers. In today’s economy, information is key but the locks get changed FAST. What is one to do? Anne makes a good suggestion — get rid of redundant information sources. Unfortunately, there is a lot of redundant information on the Internet that has been spinning around for years. You have to weed out poor sources and stick with those that are fresh, innovative, inspirational, sometimes, bleeding-edge, and always trusted.

So, which economy do you belong to — the Knowledge Economy or the Web Economy? Or, are you like me — a hybrid?

Let me know.

Related Articles
- Has Your Web Site Got Attention Deficit?
- 3 Ways to Focus Attention
- In All Things – Balance

Think Pink

I knew my daughter’s favorite color was pink, but little did I know that pink is HOT! If you are a trend watcher, then you are seeing pink — everywhere.

Marketers, want to draw women to your products? Make some of them pink and watch them fly off the shelves.

For those interested in seeing more on the subject, read the August 2007 Trend Briefing:

Women. The Mega Niche. The under-served market of all markets. And so on. Just consider the fact that women, who comprise just over 50% of the US population, make over 80% of the consumer purchasing decisions (and in case you’re wondering, consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of US GNP). Consulting firm A.T. Kearney estimates that women determine 80 percent of consumption, purchase 60 percent of all cars and own 40 percent of all stocks. No wonder some companies have FEMALE FEVER these days. Oh, and there are more numbers and insights galore on Trendsight, Rethink Pink, Marketing To Women Online and BlogHer. But hey, we were going to focus on examples, so here goes…

read more…

Have fun!

Youth in Networked Public Culture

Heather asks some good questions and makes some interesting observations about youth in today’s digital world. If you have kids, this is a good read to learn about the digital trends in youth culture.

From Spotlight | By Heather Horst

In talking to families in Silicon Valley about their use of media and technology, I often hear stories about how fundamentally different the experience of being a teenager is today. While there is clear continuity between the ways in which my generation made ‘mixed tapes’ or ‘hung out’ on the telephone for hours at a time, one of the most fundamental shifts in American youth culture centers upon kids’ engagement in what has been termed “networked public culture”, or “those cultural artifacts associated with ‘personal’ culture (like home movies, snapshots, diaries, and scrapbooks) have now entered the arena of ‘public’ culture (like newspapers, cinema, and television)”(Russell, Ito, Richmond and Tuters 2006).

For young adults such as 18 year old Ann, the entree into networked public culture first came through MySpace, a site and space which dominated her high school social life…

read more…

4-Hour Work Week

I am a big proponent of “not-to-do lists”. Here, best-selling author, Tim Ferriss shares his 9 common habits that need eliminating.

This week I realized once again how “not-to-do” lists can be just as effective—often more so—than to-do lists for upgrading performance. The reason is simple: what you don’t do determines what you can do.

Here are nine stressful and common habits that entrepreneurs and office workers should strive to eliminate. Focus on one or two at a time, just as you would with high-priority to-do items.

read more…

Related Links

You can also visit Tim at his blog: fourhourworkweek.com

You can buy Tim’s book at Amazon.

Note: I just picked up a copy today and will let you know when my work week is down to 4 hours!

Have Fun!

Something Lurks Beneath

On the 800-CEO-Read Blog, Todd asks the question:

The Internet: Culture or Crap?
Andrew Keen (Cult of The Amateur) and David Weinberger (Everything Is Miscellaneous) have been debating the merits of Web 2.0. Andrew thinks the Internet is unraveling popular culture and will lead to terrible ends. David sees nothing but upside.
read more…

It is an interesting article with lots of good links. However, what caught my eye was that this article held a very low rank while other articles (that were more common place, in my opinion) held higher rank/reads.

Is the effect of the Internet on world events and culture not of value? To me, this is an interesting commentary on the human condition. When there are weighty and important matters to be discussed, we would rather rent a movie and escape into a world of entertainment. Often, when we are faced with reality, we try to retreat from it and distract ourselves with less important matters.

Why?

Why do we purposely ignore or brush aside issues that will eventually come back around and scream in our faces for attention? Why are we more outer-focused than inner-focused?

This goes for many arenas in life:

Business – we’re more interested in leadership charisma than leadership character
Production – we’re more interested in product quantity than product quality
Love – we’re more interested in the temporary than the long-term
Finances – we’re more interested in how much we make to spend than how much we save to give
Relationships – we’re more interested in what’s in it for us than what is in it for another

And the list goes on, but it’s not a new list. Are we plagued to repeat the past? Can the Internet evolve into a viable and meaningful culture or, because of the human condition, will it spiral into abysmal redundancy? Will the Internet culture sink to a feel-good nihilistic mentality?

As additional commentary, Guy Kawasaki recently compared the blogosphere to a mountain of dirt in which one may happen upon “a rich vein of gold” — that one blog worthy of reading. He could have easily said, a mountain of dung, but I guess it would not have fit the metaphor.

So, what are your thoughts? Just ignore the growing media channel of the Internet? Who would you agree more with, Andrew Keen or David Weinberger?

The question is a tough one. The answer lurks beneath the façade. Are we willing to stop, peel back the layers, and take a look at what’s happening?

Photo Credit: A. Murray, Copyright © 2000 University of Florida.

WeirdGuy blog is Technorati #1

(This image has not been tampered with — the screen shot has been reduced in size only)

Imagine my surprise when I happened over to Technorati this afternoon and saw that my humble little blog was ranked #1 in the Top 100!! Whoa! Who needs Link Trains, it looked like the gang at Technorati were kind enough to move me right to the top.

I rubbed my tired eyes and refreshed the browser page…still Number 1! I held down the Shift key for a clean refresh and guess what?

Still, Numeral Uno!

Just to make sure, I hopped over to the Technorati Top 100 page and, wouldn’t you know it? Engadget grabbed my #1 spot away… just like that!

Oh well, at least I have a screen shot to prove I was #1 for a few minutes.

Note: I went back to my Technorati Blog Info page and I am back to #1…ah, life is sweet! :)

Trash Talk

One employee with a little inquisitiveness, made a big splash in her part of the green pond.

(By Linda Tischler at Fast Company Blog) It’s not easy being green. Anybody who’s ever really tried to minimize his or her carbon footprint, knows that even when you’re committed to recycling and responsible purchasing, you can be foiled by forces outside your control. You buy a new set of tiny earbuds, and they come encased in a mound of nasty plastic and Styrofoam. You order lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and get a portion big enough for three (the upside: I now feel virtuous instead of cheap for my unrepentant doggie bag habit, and my predilection for tap over bottled water). You buy something online, only to trigger a torrent of unwanted catalogs.

Like many other design firms these days, the folks at Frog Design have been grappling with what sustainability means from a design standpoint. How can they be more responsible in conceiving objects so that they have less of an impact on our natural resources, and the life of our planet?

But recently, one of Frog’s staffers, Ashley Menger, a design analyst in Austin, decided to launch an experiment to see how much trash she, personally, was generating.

read more…

Facebook Grows Faster Than MySpace

As I mentioned in my article, Community Jumpers, Webuser Mag online is reporting more of the same between popular social sites Facebook and MySpace:

MySpace is still the most popular social-networking site in the world but Facebook is growing the fastest, according to research from ComScore.
Since June last year, the number of unique users of Facebook has grown by 270 per cent.

However, with 52 million unique visitors, it still lags behind MySpace, which boasts more than twice as many at 144 million and is growing at a rate of 72 per cent. (Facebook growth outstrips MySpace, by Ben Camm-Jones)

read more…

What are your thoughts about online social communities?

Open Thread: Keeping It Fun

How do you keep work (and life) fun?

- Share your tips, tricks, hobbies, must reads, and secrets here.

You can see a little bit of how I do it in the post Weird Weekend Warrior. Never take yourself too seriously!