Chris von Simson

Rural Retail

2010-03-18T12:46:00.002-04:00

A vision, from Seth Godin, of a retail experience so wonderful that you might actually pay a dollar just to be in the space for a while.

Yes, it's a rural bookstore/lifestyle concept in Massachusetts, and how lovely it looks...

Here's what the blogger at Publishers Weekly thought of it:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/ShelfTalker_A_Children_s_Bookseller_s_Blog/28758-A_Photo_Tour_of_the_Montague_Bookmill.php

A link to the place itself :)
http://www.montaguebookmill.com/

Alex at 3 months

2010-01-20T20:56:00.003-05:00

OK, so it's almost 3 months, and this is written on the eve of his lovely mother's birthday... but anyway...

He's great. Life-changing and life-affirming. He has a ready smile that makes us glow as a family.

He's really good at letting us know what he likes, and what he hates, and there's not much in between.

Every day I see more going on, more love, more happiness, more everything.

Now I'm inspired to do more dad-blogging, or whatever it's called.

Inspired by more great writing by Ta-Nehesi:

http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/archives/2010/01/earning_the_hatred_of_your_children.php

Lisa and I are Pregnant!

2009-06-04T15:44:00.004-04:00

We are expecting a little boy on about 13th October 2009, which means this post is on about week 22.

Lisa is well, happy that the first Trimester of Tiredness is in the past.

So am I :)

Name, TBD. We are trending traditional, especially with family names (much easier to remember thanks to Geni), and with names that have many derivatives.

We are of course doing the literature review and goodness me there's a lot. Special thanks to Jane and Bob Maruszewski for the super hand-me-down of "Be Prepared"

As you probably saw in the last post we are moving to a bigger place.

We have done some keeping the global economy going too, by buying some furniture for the new place: a lovely comfortable chair for those 2 in the morning wake-up-calls, and a crib.

Our next adventure is Daycare choices and costs. Yikes!

The best bits though have been feeling the bump, and the first kicks, and reconnecting with family and old friends on a new plane, and making new friends too.

OK, back to work for me, but next I'll be posting the usual crazy ultrasound pics, and the sounds of the heartbeat.

Happily yours,

Chris

We're moving to Reston in July

2009-06-02T13:24:00.002-04:00

At last a decision. Today we heard our application to rent a new place has been accepted.

It has been quite wearing to spend hours searching the listing, driving around town, viewing places, and making applications. Our "Rental Realtor" has made things much easier for us. Her name is Sharon Sheldon and she works with Long and Foster in McLean.

And now at last it is decided. Reston.

Our new address will get distributed once we sign the lease.

Pictures and a general map are on twitter (and facebook, got them sync'd).

It's a super place, and we really liked viewing it with the owners, who seem very nice and helpful.

I suppose this means Lisa and I will be doing more packing in the evenings to come.

Now, WHY are we moving? That's the next post :)

Inauguration

2009-01-21T16:01:00.002-05:00

We saw it on TV at home. It was freezing, and very hard to get anywhere near on the mall.

At least we didn't jouney down there, and end up crammed into a McD watching it on a tiny B&W old tv!

Yay for the USA!

Getting Rid of Cables

2009-01-21T15:58:00.003-05:00

Via David Pogue, a new standard called Transfer Jet. Jochen might like this. I certainly would: Cradles and cables are annoying.

Awesome Water Fountain in Japan

2008-12-19T22:51:00.001-05:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tP5Ays_eUk

Sent from my iPhone

Happy Birthday Jane!

2008-12-09T12:40:00.001-05:00

What a super day this was:

Much love from us!

How big is the bailout?

2008-11-26T10:17:00.003-05:00

$7.8T and counting. Via Barry Ritholz: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/78-trillion-bailout/

How does that compare to other very large US expenditures? (Via Barry Ritholz again: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/big-bailouts-bigger-bucks/)

Plan	$ Cost (billions)	$ Inflation Adjusted Cost (billions)
Marshall Plan	12.7	115.3
Louisiana Purchase	15	217
Race to the Moon	36.4	237
1980's S&L Crisis	153	256
Korean War	54	454
The New Deal	32	500
Invasion of Iraq	551	597
Vietnam War	111	698
NASA	416.7	851.2
World War II	288	3.6 Trillion

COMBINED TOTAL: $7.52T, or $0.28T less than the bailout so far.

Happy Birthday Kelly Arey!

2008-11-25T21:25:00.001-05:00

And enjoy the wine below!

Chris and Lisa

Our NEW favorite white wine

2008-11-25T21:03:00.005-05:00

Macon Chaintre.

It is superb. Lately the Picpoul du Pinet was less and less interesting and this Macon is stunningly better. It has become the white wine we look forward to!

Domaine Pascal Berthier, 2007 vintage.

Best bought at Arrow Wine (www.arrowine.com).

We recently had Kelly and Jason, and Djeneba and Mema as charming dinner guests, and it went very well with the salmon and hollandaise sauce.

Enjoy!

Inauguration

2008-11-05T09:31:00.001-05:00

Lisa and I are figuring out just how many people we might be able to put up here. It will be nutty.

The work was more than worth it!

2008-11-05T09:21:00.002-05:00

So Barack Obama is President-elect.

My spirits lift. I smile at the thought. All the canvassing, and phone banking, and driving people to and from polls was well worth it.

I remember my dejection in 2000 (in the U.K.) and 2004 (in the Flying Scotsman bar in DC with Bala and Jane). Part of my energy and determination to do more was born in those days.

So now, as well as building the nation back up here in America, comes hopefully a rebuilding, or better a re-foundation of healthy alternatives to the elected view.

Maybe best of all is the sense that there might be more talking about politics, more figuring out of what people really think is good policy, more debate, more study, more science, more thinking.

Even though I awoke exhausted I feel energized now, and it's not just the joy of a really good cup of tea.

Happy Birthday Lisa Squire Harnett

2008-11-05T09:19:00.001-05:00

Best Wishes from us in McLean :)

Dreaming in black and white

2008-10-21T18:56:00.001-04:00

I knew it! I once wrote the line "my mother is as young as her black
and white photo", and the poetry professor at UCL gave me some gentle
ribbing for it: "easy now Seamus Heaney", which I absolutely took as a
compliment. Ah les neiges d'antan.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/electric-dreams.html

Sent from my iPhone

Optimizing a 401k for Cost-efficiency

2008-09-19T12:46:00.002-04:00

Optimizing a 401k for Cost-efficiency
I promised I would begin writing short screeds on this topic before the current market turmoil but I strongly think the advice holds true. For me this starts with Jack Bogle. He has his own site. Get his books from the local library and read them. I learned that fund picking for returns is impossible (the selection of funds in a 401(k) is out of one's hands) I decided simply to examine what funds might have the lowest costs. This is easy to do with a free membership at www.morningstar.com. Just type in the name of the fund and find and hit the portfolio button. The cost are typically expressed as a percent deducted every year. Once you know the costs of the funds at your disposal rank them by cost. Expect and hope to see funds from the Vanguard corporation. Choose the one with the lowest cost that has the broadest asset allocation. If more than one has very low costs then it begins to be interesting to think about asset allocation in more detail. Remember this is very long term money, invested for at least 20-30 years. So do not pay any attention to market turbulence.
I'll post this today. If I get questions or comments I'll write in more detail on the questions or try to explain some point in more detail.

Sent from my iPhone

Serious about Shaving

2008-09-05T17:57:00.004-04:00

Seriously!

Learning more about this topic makes this part of every day better - even enjoyable. And I promised a new friend based in London that I'd write about this.

What I learned:

Watch the videos

Buy a simple cheap classic double-edged (DE) old fashioned Merkur razor.

Buy some simple cheap blades.

Buy some really nice cream and balm (This is a great gift idea)

Marketing is a Tax you Pay for being Unremarkable

2008-09-04T10:22:00.003-04:00

Inspiration.

Thank you Bill Taylor and Robert Stephens.

Happiness with a job well done

2008-09-03T17:28:00.003-04:00

Ah the joys of seeing a piece of work come to life in a public place.

Thank you to Jennifer, Nicholas, Jorge, Ashley, and Pam.

Happy Birthday Candy Sandwich

2008-09-03T15:22:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday!!

Kristin S is having a fine old time over at the Sandwich: Such a drag

Sent from my iPhone

At the Washingto ballgame tonight

2008-08-15T19:50:00.000-04:00

Test title

2008-07-18T17:10:00.001-04:00

Test body text
Sent from my iPhone

Happy Birthday Joel Lebrun!

2008-07-18T09:42:00.002-04:00

Photo: Ana and Joel on a boat somewhere nice :)

Happy Birthday Joel!

Happy Birthday Krista Townsend!

2008-07-12T14:08:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday Krista!

Keynote: Gone in 60 seconds

2008-06-11T11:38:00.001-04:00

This is how to run a keynote in 60 seconds. Thanks Maholo and Jason Calacanis.

Lisa and Chris Camping Trip!

2008-05-31T12:01:00.002-04:00

A lovely chance for a weekend getaway... June 13, 14, 15

We are considering Loft Mountain Campground.

National Park Service PDF link

Embedded Map from Tysons Area

View Larger Map

the group site A037 and non-group sites seem to be available.

June Travel to Buckinghamshire, London, and Brussels

2008-05-31T10:04:00.002-04:00

So I'm flying out on a little trip.

Sunday

Catch the night flight with United UA 920 IAD 6:26 pm > LHR 6:55 am

Monday and Tuesday

I'll be in Buckinghamshire, staying with my parents and preparing for the MicroStrategy London BI Symposium.

Wednesday

Travel on the train up to Kensington for the event. Catch up with the local MicroStrategy UK team.

Thursday

Present, and then dash over on Eurostar for a quick trip to Brussels.

Friday

Brussels

Saturday

fly back home to Lisa!

Lisa and Chris Housewarming

2008-05-31T09:02:00.002-04:00

So we are moved in! Thank goodness. Lillian Court at Tysons Corner is so far mostly delightful and we appear to have good and responsive landlords. Some of the pictures are hung, the boxes are unpacked, and we are really starting to feel well settled.

What does this engender? A Housewarming party!

We have created and sent the evite, but I always forget the sheer number of local people I should invite - so this blog posting is serving as another kind of invitation.

Come marvel at the extra square feet!

Mental Health Break - Sneezing Panda

2008-05-30T11:48:00.002-04:00

So I know I'm VERY late to the game with this one, but it's worth the 30 seconds.

Why does Wikipedia Exist?

2008-05-30T11:28:00.002-04:00

Because we have time to do it! More seriously, Clay Shirky has written a super short essay on this, and a larger book.

Here is the direct link the essay. Now I'm thinking I need to add Clay Shirky's book to the larger reading list. Along with Dan Pink's. Once I'm finished with reading the Chips diaries (they grow on one), and the outstanding Presentation Zen book (thank you Lisa).

Hat Tip, as so often, to Andrew Sullivan.

"This is one of those essays so brilliant and fun and provocative it stays with you for a while. It's by Clay Shirky and it's about social surplus - or how human beings manage modernity. It's hard to summarize, so here's a taste:"

If I had to pick the critical technology for the 20th century, the bit of social lubricant without which the wheels would've come off the whole enterprise, I'd say it was the sitcom. Starting with the Second World War a whole series of things happened--rising GDP per capita, rising educational attainment, rising life expectancy and, critically, a rising number of people who were working five-day work weeks. For the first time, society forced onto an enormous number of its citizens the requirement to manage something they had never had to manage before--free time.
And what did we do with that free time? Well, mostly we spent it watching TV.
We did that for decades. We watched I Love Lucy.

Virginia Camping

2008-05-29T20:03:00.002-04:00

So I saw this Campground review book in REI, and thought "Why isn't that a blog for goodness sake, or at least a web site. Harrumph!" Next time I search What do I find?

How superb! Books made free, sort of.

Now to use this for our next camping trip coming up in June. Maybe we can find something in between Lisa and Barb.

This is the best news of the month for me at work!

2008-05-22T08:06:00.000-04:00

Boot-camp is hard. I found it a tough challenge. Thanks to the friendly help from Adam Biegeleisen and Nick Wakefield I prevailed.

This is a well-deserved success for Jennifer, and a great reason to smile a little more than usual on the way to work!

How many people live in our area?

2008-05-16T14:44:00.003-04:00

Jochen and I were wondering about this as we flew back from the TDWI conference in Chicago.

Answer? 5.3M or 8.2M depending on which area you are talking about.

Phew

2008-05-08T12:56:00.002-04:00

One can so easily be reminded of the important things in life.

Suhrud is keeping a cool head while his son gets past a fever. Nice work on the documented advice.

Moving right along

2008-05-06T11:51:00.002-04:00

The move of boxes and etc went well, we have almost everything over at Lillian Court now, excepting some clothes and a few dishes, the cats and us.

Large furniture move occurs on Sat 10th May and that will be the end of things, thank goodness. On the 10th we will have to be careful on our route West. It is Arlington Day, and some central Arlington roads will be closed. Seems to me we will use U. S. Route 50 West (the same one that runs all the way to California!) and then the Beltway inner loop up to Virginia State Route 267 West. More on those plans Wednesday and Thursday.

I set up the computer at the new place and it works well, though of course now it is living at the other place so no computer in the evenings in Arlington for us. I posted the pics we used to document the scratches, defects, etc on flickr, but we will post nice pics sometime soon. If we can find the camera charger, maybe we will even post moving day shots!

At lunchtime today I will call Dominion Power to make sure the account is transferred to my name. Washington Gas is done, and goodness me they took a time!

A Quick Thank You

2008-05-03T06:35:00.002-04:00

Thank you to all those wonderful people who sent me gifts, cards, or a little email or blog posting of best wishes for my birthday last weekend.

My apologies for not writing much sooner, but as you may know - we're moving! :) I promise to write more soon.

Time for a cup of coffee before we hit the road!

Much love,

Chris

Seth Godin on RFPs

2008-05-01T18:09:00.002-04:00

Money Quote:

"The RFP is an organizational punt, it's a way of saying, 'it's all a commodity, we can't decide, cheap guy wins.'
The cheap guy, of course, never wins."

Pithy Seth. Hmm, now say that six times fast :)

Maybe Just the Thing for a friend in need

2008-05-01T09:37:00.003-04:00

So earlier this week a friend asked for some career advice. This morning I find Garr Reynolds' super review and lovely short presentation on the wonderful new career book by Dan Pink. First watch the video trailer for this book:

Then take 5 minutes to check out the presentation. 5 Minutes? Yes. Even with 184 Slides? Yes. Maybe you might find value in Garr's tips on presenting as well :)

| View | Upload your own

Lillian Court

2008-05-01T00:12:00.001-04:00

IMGP2879.JPG
Originally uploaded by chrisvonsimson

It's mostly empty, with some boxes. I'm tired. More tomorrow.

Keys to the new place tonight!

2008-04-30T16:15:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to say we are approved for renting and do the "walk through" with the owners (and landlords) tonight. Annoyingly I forgot my camera, so I'll have to do a drive from Tysons to Arlington to Tysons at rush hour. Grr.

Some light moving will happen every evening. Fabio has offered to help some this coming Saturday, and I have Joel and Jochen confirmed for the morning of the 10th to help with the large items. Quite the European team :) With a bit of luck it should all go smoothly.

Potential New Lodgings

2008-04-09T23:19:00.003-04:00

Lisa and I saw a place out near Tysons corner that we may rent. No exciting pics yet. More soon. Oh, and check the Google Map for Lillian Court :)

View Larger Map

Another reason to value customer marketing

2008-04-08T10:39:00.000-04:00

"A person like yourself"

It's a powerful phrase, and as the study linked below indicates, a powerful source of persuasion. But how could it not be?
A person like yourself would almost necessarily provide exactly the advice you are looking for. Maybe the egotistical and/or aspirational among us would project this person like oneself to be a slightly better version of oneself, including slightly more intelligent, experienced, articulate, and so forth.
Of course one is also reminded of the old line: "I wouldn't want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member". I suppose in those cases of self-dislike "A person like myself" would be the very last source of good advice :)

Either way: nice post Steve Rubel.
Micro Persuasion: Trust in Peers Trumps the "A-List," Study Finds

Geographical Representation of Data

2008-04-07T18:40:00.002-04:00

The Blog Strange Maps beats them all: beats them into submission with Le Gaulois (a multi-utensil in the shape of France) and as a bonus presents us with the only known mapping data of the whereabouts of Ludacris by ho-area code.

Where is this you cry? Why here.

One wonders mischievously what the MapInfo and Visual Crossing folk make of this? What a set of reporting requirements THAT would be.

Yours in a bout of fevered clarity, amid a foggy-headed cold, and looking forward to an early night with more anti-cold drugs.

Bloomberg Introduces Obama

2008-03-27T10:09:00.000-04:00

Wow.

Marc Ambinder (March 27, 2008) - Bloomberg Introduces Obama

My cycling route to work

2008-03-26T22:53:00.000-04:00

Just trying out the new embed code...

Commute to Tysons from Arlington
Find more Bike Rides in Arlington, Virginia

Ted Phelps, cycling across America, and me cycling home

2008-03-26T21:45:00.002-04:00

So I met Ted when I was cycling home from work a couple of years ago. He was clearly way too brown to have been cycling just for a day out. We got to chatting as he asked for directions on the route I was using, so I offered to accompany him as a sometime guide until he could see his destination. Lovely bloke. He took a picture of me, and today I found it. Nice work Ted!

Here is the link to his picture site

Cycling on the Web

2008-03-26T13:50:00.000-04:00

One of those moments when the rich content of the WWW just blows you away.

Spring is coming and I'm getting very excited for the year's cycling! Looks like 65 degrees Fahrenheit on the way home today :)

crazyguyonabike.com: Bicycle Touring: A place for bicycle tourists and their journals

MapMyRide.com - Map your Cycling and Mountain Biking Routes. Topo Maps, Elevation Profiles, GPS Support.

Happy Birthday Joe Bullis!

2008-03-26T11:33:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to JB.

Calculated Risk: Real Case-Shiller House Price Index

2008-03-25T16:32:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting for this - at last the inflation adjusted Case-Shiller Index.
Lisa and I live in the DC area, which is one of the Composite 10 cities. I suppose we'll keep building the house fund. If there's an under-shoot of the housing market we could do just fine.

Hat Tip: Calculated Risk: Real Case-Shiller House Price Index

Happy Birthday Julie Beeler

2008-03-25T11:36:00.002-04:00

Many Happy Returns!

Seth's Blog: Why bother having a resume?

2008-03-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I am asked why I blog. This has happened more than once when I ask a job candidate if they have a blog. Here is Seth Godin writing along the same lines, asking why have a resume when you can have so much more. I have to say I tend to agree. I always find a resume to be a like a book's table of contents, but without any book! I think the only time I read the table of contents thoroughly is if I happen to be in the market for a text or reference book, and even then it is hardly exciting, and only as good as the writing that follows! And I'm not in that market that frequently or enthusiastically...
Some would say that's why one has the phone interview. Good. I like the phone interview. I think it is essential. But why stop there?

What is better? Blog or resume? Well like so many "either or" questions the real answer lies in both. Maybe the resume is useful to people who want a checklist, and I suppose that's useful if one has to check out actual educational references and suchlike. But how dull! It used to be in the 1990s that people wanted to see elaborate Web sites, but these days are different. For me, the blog is likely to reveal more meaning, with significantly less humdrum evening engineering. Hopefully it will be a useful habitual exercise in forming meaningful thought into clear communication. Sometimes it might be useful to me as a record of things I find interesting. At the very least it will be a brief record of what I thought at a certain time, or maybe reveal a way of thinking, and a way of writing.

Anyway, once again Seth provides perspective, and another reason for you to blog :)

Seth's Blog: Why bother having a resume?

Happy Birthday to Melanie Whipple!

2008-03-19T08:23:00.001-04:00

Now what we really want is a Mel Blog! :)

More tea needed

2008-03-11T15:37:00.003-04:00

Or perhaps more time to drink it in the morning! This morning was very hard without ANY caffeine or food, fasting until I realized the Physical with the eminent Doctor Zweig is NEXT week. Well that gives me a week to keep healthy (with the cycling to work and swimming this weekend in Boca), and forget about how stupid I feel today.

Of course these feelings are compounded with noticing that my friends seem to be writing better and better blog postings, with elaborate and beautiful prose. Let's see if I can rise to that level of writing too. As I mentioned elsewhere today, I think blogging is an excellent habit for Product Managers: careful judgment of subject matter, the opportunity to communicate in multiple formats and registers. At least, that’s some of the main reasons why I blog. A bientot mes amis.

Test Health Embed Spreadsheet from Google Docs

2008-03-07T17:54:00.001-05:00

This is a test. Please Excuse the name of the spreadsheet.

A blast from the past: Hillary Clinton and Michael Dukakis

2008-03-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Yet more insight from the superb political blog, The Field. Now Al Giordano is by no means infallible; but the quality of most of the thinking is very high, and the detail work is better than most I have seen.

What do I think? I think that blogs like the field, and their sources such as the even more detailed work done by state by state bloggers, issue bloggers, and even precinct bloggers provides astonishing insight, and maybe even some useful data for possible aggregation.

One looks forward to the day when people blog about BI in the same way: a metrics blog, etc. This gives me an idea.

The Field » Big States, Myth and Fact

A voice remembered

2008-03-02T22:50:00.002-05:00

There is a special joy in discovering a friend's blog, and realizing there's a lot to catch up on. It is even better when the voice you remember, with its cadences and rhythms and vocabulary, is right there in the text.

Why say this tonight? Well for Whipple Wonders, that's what!

2008 BI Magic Quadrant Diagram

2008-02-28T18:10:00.000-05:00

Very interesting to see this out there in the blogosphere.

Congratulations to MicroStrategy (my employer) for being in the Leader Quadrant.

2008 BI Magic Quadrant Diagram

Maybe this is the new Apple iPhone chip?

2008-02-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

Rumors are out there...

S-GOLD3H_MP-EH-pb.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Now I really think it is over for Hillary in TX

2008-02-28T09:51:00.003-05:00

The video kinda says it all. About 90 seconds of wonder. Once again via Andrew Sullivan. He hears Obama's trouncing her in Texas.

Getting more storage from furniture: Michelle Kaufman

2008-02-28T09:19:00.002-05:00

Wonderful ideas promoted by Michelle Kaufman.
Good Blog too.

Insightful, funny: Calculated Risk: Inflation is Your (Ben's) Friend

2008-02-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

Back to the Future my friends...

Calculated Risk: Inflation is Your (Ben's) Friend

Visualizating Terabytes of Astronomy Data

2008-02-27T14:08:00.000-05:00

Interesting to compare to Google Earth's view of the Sky.

One wonders what makes up those terabytes of data? Binary Large Objects such as images?

What made me cry: Microsoft’s World Wide Telescope « Scobleizer — Tech geek blogger

Apple iPhone SDK Event

2008-02-27T13:35:00.001-05:00

Let the typical Excitement begin! :) Via Ars Technica

New Word Learned: Meliorism

2008-02-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

Via the articulate Andrew Sullivan: The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

"...an idea in metaphysical thinking holding that progress is a real concept leading to an improvement of the world. It holds that humans can, through their interference with processes that would otherwise be natural, produce an outcome which is an improvement over the aforementioned natural one."

Meliorism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winter Chills Fix: Candy Sandwich: Boogie woogie, woogie

2008-02-27T11:48:00.001-05:00

Three words: Heated Mattress Pad.

This was one of my birthday presents for Lisa.

It is like the dawn of civilization...

and we turned down the air heating in the room by 5 degrees.

Candy Sandwich: Boogie woogie, woogie

AOL shows very cool stuff « Scobleizer — Tech geek blogger

2008-02-27T09:37:00.000-05:00

Hopefully Holly Billy gets to see this over at AOL. Another Adobe AIR implementation.

AOL shows very cool stuff « Scobleizer — Tech geek blogger

Rental Location in West Falls Church

2008-02-27T09:29:00.001-05:00

Falls Place Court MLS: FX6672240

Not too bad a place, but 50% over our ideal budget. Interesting because I didn't know that community was there yet... Makes one wonder how much the rent might be for a significantly more attractive property at Gates of West Falls !

eBay Desktop - a really good use of Adobe AIR

2008-02-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

Via Robert Scoble. This just goes to show that Adobe AIR is really something worth examining. Now I just need to find the time to do the examining! :)

eBay Desktop

New Glasses

2008-02-27T07:20:00.004-05:00

From MODO. I quite like them. However it did take $725 (just $100 after insurance) and 8 weeks to get them - versus $87 and three weeks for the pair from China. Same lenses. Pic of the Chinese Glasses soon.

1,000, 229 for Barack at 6.51 am

2008-02-27T06:53:00.002-05:00

I think this is a first. Over a million donors. And I can't even give a dollar as an alien without a green card - yet. Maybe I'll be able to donate in the General Election :)

http://www.barackobama.com/index.php

Extended Quote of The Day

2008-02-26T18:16:00.000-05:00

Via Andrew Sullivan

Within five years, [Kurzweil] believes that high-tech solar panels will become less expensive per watt of energy produced than oil, taking away the financial incentive for people to burn through nonrenewable natural resources. Within 20 years, they will have largely replaced fossil fuels as the primary source of the world's energy.

In a more general view, Kurzweil noted that the average life expectancy was growing at the rate of roughly three months a year. Now that information technology is affecting medicine, Kurzweil projected that in 15 years, the life expectancy of people will start expanding at the rate of more than a year for every year that passes, essentially not only delaying death, but actually pushing it further away with each passing day.

"We didn't stay on the ground," Kurzweil said. "We didn't stay on the planet. And we have not stayed within the limitations of our biology."

Kurzweil: 'Exponential' change ahead for games, people | CNET News.com

N. Arlington Sunny Colonial -- Free March Rent!

2008-02-26T14:41:00.000-05:00

Maybe Lisa and I should check this place out as a potential rental?

N. Arlington Sunny Colonial -- Free March Rent!

Happy Thoughts and Book Reviews: Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

2008-02-26T14:20:00.000-05:00

This sounds really good. I'll put it on my to read list, wherever that is - maybe it is this blog?

Hey Lisa TCMH, maybe inspiring others to read could be an additional Happy Thought?

Happy Thoughts and Book Reviews: Their Eyes were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

-19.5% Dec-Dec for DC Housing Index?!

2008-02-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

So yes this is the whole DC Extra Urban Area, but goodness me.

The Big Picture | Case Shiller Housing Composite Negative for 2007

Visualization: The Ebb and Flow of Movies: Box Office Receipts 1986 - 2007 - The New York Times

2008-02-26T12:04:00.000-05:00

Via Andrew Sullivan.

This is an interesting example of a Flash visualization. I like a lot of it, but I don't like the default text labels.

The Ebb and Flow of Movies: Box Office Receipts 1986 - 2007 - The New York Times

AppleInsider | iTunes now the No. 2 music retailer in the US

2008-02-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

Wow. The story so far: Over 50 Million Customers; 4 billion songs sold. 20 Million sold on Christmas Day 2007. Now just Wal-Mart to beat.

AppleInsider | iTunes now the No. 2 music retailer in the US

Pausing when presenting

2008-02-25T16:49:00.000-05:00

I am a great believer in pausing when presenting. I remember the first time I paused to think about the next topic - it seemed suddenly natural, and powerful, and the audience liked it!
I'm bound to use this post as a reference for coaching presenters. Thanks Mr Decker :)

Create Your Communications Experience: The Power of the Pause

YouTube - Touchpad for iPhone

2008-02-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

Wow. Using the Apple iPhone as a touchpad to control your computer.

OK, yes this is pretty techy, but it's a freezing cold day and it's nice to be inside working on tech stuff :)

YouTube - Touchpad for iPhone

www.thedieline.com

2008-02-15T13:42:00.000-05:00

Seems to me Jeremy Billy should be interested in this.

Maybe he's already featured? No time to check...

www.thedieline.com

YouTube - Hank Paulson "The Worst is Just Beginning" in Housing

2008-02-12T17:54:00.000-05:00

I believe the phrase is rut-roh:

YouTube - Hank Paulson "The Worst is Just Beginning" in Housing

Candy Sandwich: Shivering

2008-02-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

Yay for this being the better result. Seems like good news has never been so frustrating.

Candy Sandwich: Shivering

Northern Virginia Housing Bubble Fallout: A Decade of January Sales

2008-02-11T11:18:00.000-05:00

Great use of Google Docs to tabulate a decade of January Sales.

Sure prices have come down a lot, and maybe the pace of the median price decline may slow somewhat, but goodness look at that huge inventory!

Northern Virginia Housing Bubble Fallout: A Decade of January Sales

Running on hopes or fears

2008-02-08T12:46:00.000-05:00

I guess there's a choice right?

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

2008-02-08T12:12:00.000-05:00

Thank you Federal Communications Commission for making this possible. Plus thanks to Andrew Sullivan for pointing to it as a Mental Health Break :)

Amazing how the FCC made a beep mean multiple words.

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

The Meadow Woods, lodging in Yosemite National Park

2008-02-07T21:28:00.000-05:00

Lisa and I are thinking about if we might tempt our parents into staying here after the Wedding of Jennifer and Aili:
The Meadow Woods, lodging in Yosemite National Park

Rush weighs a Hillary fundraiser - Ben Smith's Blog - Politico.com

2008-02-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

Money Quote:

"Keep her in it so we can win it"

Rush weighs a Hillary fundraiser - Ben Smith's Blog - Politico.com

YouTube - 20 minutes or so about why Larry Lessig is "4Barack"

2008-02-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

This is superb. 20 calm minutes of good reasoning. No wonder Larry Lessig is Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and founder of its Center for Internet and Society.

YouTube - 20 minutes or so about why I am 4Barack

Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video

2008-02-04T20:40:00.000-05:00

This is wonderful to see. Viva mashups.

YouTube - Yes We Can - Barack Obama Music Video

Wife in the North: Party time

2008-01-31T11:09:00.000-05:00

Wife in the North is a truly superb blog. I may have said that before.

That being said I also miss the occasional ceilidh. Maybe I should look harder :) DC has got to have an Irish Embassy after all, and I'm sure the rest of the Celts are not under-represented!

I'll let you know when we're going, and take some pictures. Hey, maybe this first generation Brit and immigrant has enough Irish ancestry to even lay claim to some kind of Tartan? First time I have ever thought about it!

Wife in the North: Party time: "ceilidh"

A Lovely Line on Microsoft Vista's 1st Birthday

2008-01-30T11:19:00.000-05:00

Money Quote

"Happy birthday, Vista. Try not to set yourself on fire as you blow out the candle."

Thank goodness once again that we switched to the Apple Mac.

Robert X. Cringely® | InfoWorld | Happy Birthday Vista? | January 30, 2008 05:34 AM | By Robert X. Cringely: "Happy birthday, Vista. Try not to set yourself on fire as you blow out the candle."

I love this Happy Birthday idea

2008-01-30T09:22:00.000-05:00

A happy thought for each year! How wonderful!

Even better of course is that the list can grow (a little) longer each year.

Happy Thoughts and Book Reviews: Happy birthday Higgy!

Happy Birthday Pete!

2008-01-30T09:17:00.000-05:00

Woot indeed. Best wishes from me, and let us know where the resume is posted if and when it is.

Maybe a blog is a kind of ultra long form resume? With nicer pictures!

Higgy's Mindnumbingly Boring Blog

More Microsoft Windows WiFi stupidity

2008-01-29T17:21:00.000-05:00

I was asked about this just the other day. Hat Tip to David Pogue at the NYT, and especially the Chronicle link below:

TechBlog: "Free Public WiFi"? Not!

One Click Jingle Mail

2008-01-29T16:58:00.000-05:00

Now this is still just the tip of the iceberg!

One wonders how many of the stock photos with smiling people moving boxes featured on web sites promoting house purchases from 2000 to 2006.

Hat Tip to The Big Picture

www.youwalkaway.com

Thinking of you Pete

2008-01-29T09:23:00.000-05:00

Fingers crossed, you know where to find me. Get on linked in today.

Higgy's Mindnumbingly Boring Blog

A little fun from The Commons

2008-01-25T16:47:00.000-05:00

I had almost forgotten what immense fun could be derived from these House of Commons tangles. For anyone who has ever heard of the Gordon Brown and Tony Blair tussles, this is a Joy, provided by William Hague on tip top debating form. Hat Tip: Andrew Sullivan.

A Forestry link for Tor

2008-01-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

Having recently received a lovely letter from Nick and Tor I happened across this rather interesting and well written forestry blog today, and thought I'd point to it.
Nice photos of Ascension Island as well.

Notes from the Abyss

Meryl.net » 175+ Data and Information Visualization Examples and Resources

2008-01-24T12:13:00.000-05:00

This is just wonderful. Data visualization from Moon Shots to Baby Names.
Working with data and reporting as I do this provides a great resource for inspiration and comparison.

Hat tip to The Dashboard Spy.
Great work Meryl! Your blog just became an instant addition to my Google Reader :)

Hmm, maybe you'd like to see what I'm reading and sharing in more detail?

Direct Link to Meryl's superb list:
Meryl.net » 175+ Data and Information Visualization Examples and Resources

Seth's Blog: Layering

2008-01-22T10:24:00.000-05:00

I couldn't agree more with this sentiment of adding value through layering of added value.

There are so many analogies:
Pearls
Relationships
Blogs :)
Getting fitter
Losing weight

and the list could go on for some time

Seth's Blog: Layering

I think this is what blogging is all about

2008-01-12T22:04:00.000-05:00

Here's a virtual hug ( ) Lisa TCMH

By the way - One wonders what the story is behind the "TCMH" thing?

Happy Thoughts and Book Reviews: Hugs and Kisses

p.s. Lisa and I will be in SF area in July; I'd love to swing by and say hi if at all possible on our way to Yosemite. One loves reading the blogs, but it has been far too long since I heard you and saw you all in person.