Weekend Introspective

For the last few weeks I have been out of touch with either of the blogs that I try to update regularly. Admittedly a number of things have happened; computer crash, remodeling our kitchen cabinets, and work. This doesn’t mention looking for a new car reading two books simultaneously or a myriad of other things that can be time sinks.

The books; “The Way We Are Working Isn’t Working” by Tony Schwartz and Jean Gomes, “The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE” by Thomas  J. Peters (Tom Peters). And as noted earlier I have just finished “I Live In The Future” by Nick Bilton. It was a great read – if you are into what is happening to us with technology.

I think my Kindle will be my best technology purchase of the year. My HP Mini won last years prize.

Note: Books are not everything, my wife and family are everything. Next comes reading and learning (books and experience). Everything in it’s proper perspective.

Back to the blogs. I started Curious Voyager to talk/write about technology, it’s affect on us personally as well as having the ability to give small (or home) businesses great advantages. It was also to reflect on Life, Living and the Pursuit of Happiness in this ever changing world.

I started Ease Of Blogging to demonstrate just how easy it is to start a blog, not necessarily how easy it is to maintain it. To do this on a regular basis takes time. You have to do a great deal of reading so it best be a subject that you like. Blogging itself is like having one half of a lunch conversation where the other half may or may not be listening.

I have to thank Gary Vaynerchuk for that last line. I paraphrased something from his book “Crush It"!”. Another great read.

I know that in my writing I have ventured off on the closing of a Starbucks and my moving over to McDonald’s, who by the way is not into the “conversation” as Starbucks is. I have vented at business operations that are money driven and not consumer or employee concerned. So Life is full of all this.

I have had my successes and failures at leadership and management so I can talk about them. The same goes for Life, Living and technology.

Life is an ever changing experience and trying to stay on the curl is not easy. Every once in awhile we have to stop and look around. I guess that is what I have been doing.

It doesn’t mean that I have stopped reading the blogs or the tech news. I still get a paper edition of Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Inc. Magazine (how quaint).  I really should look into getting them on the Kindle.

My Google Reader fills up everyday however I have been getting Seth Godin’s Blog on my Kindle as well as TechCrunch. In the Google Reader they are free however on the Kindle there is a cost and yet I can read them without having to boot up a computer. Easy, that is the way it should be and the cost, $0.99 or $1.99 a month is not out of line. I think of it as a subscription. I give $2.00 a month to Leo Laporte and TWiT.

So I am still here and I am still thinking. I am writing and I am sure the heat will return. Just this week I got mad at a what I thought was a dumb article at Computerworld; 10 Things I don’t Understand About Consumer Technology.

This one was far reaching to find something to write about, really far. “1. Why is the iPad so slippery?” First I have never heard this complaint anywhere and second I have not found that to be even true. I had an iPad for about 10 days to learn how to use it. No problem here. The writer must have had a greasy hamburger for lunch while using the iPad.

It gets worse from there. The worst waste of time in my opinion was no. 7; “Where are those Google personal time projects?” It is none of your business! Not now, not ever. Good things have come from it not to mention the thought of working for someone who just might value your outside thoughts and contributions.

Been to the Google Campus and would love working there however I would really increase the average work age I am afraid.

OK I just survived a Windows Live Writer crash and still writing. Life does get a little edgy once in awhile.

Have a GREAT WEEKEND and an even better week!

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Blogging Isn't Always Easy

I know it has been a while since I have posted here. So many things going on besides work that it has been hard to think about writing on Ease Of Blogging.

We are remodeling our kitchen cabinets, that is my wife and I. Replacing the wood panels in the doors with glass, replacing all the shelving and hinges. Adding door handles and then painting everything – including ourselves. It is a labor of love with a little pain thrown in for good measure.

Work has also eaten into my time so my casual/learning reading has not always been up to par with whatever par is. I woke up this morning to 6 magazines laying on the dinning room table and was immediately reminded that I had some old business information to look into – old by now. At least my Google Reader does not remind that I have things to read.

I suspect that renewals of subscriptions one day will all be for online reading and I will read the magazines on my computer, my TV, or on my Kindle.

I will admit to giving a great deal of my discretionary time to reading on my Kindle. I have finished “I Live In The Future” by Nick Bilton and it is really, really good. The further into the book the more I just wanted to keep on reading. I am now  following Nick’s blog. 

On another note.

This morning I decided to write. I am at McDonald’s having breakfast and inspiration takes hold. Now I had to wait for the computer to boot. While waiting it made me think that I too want an ‘instant on’ computer. One that is right there, right now, when I am ready to use it. Take it out of the sleeve and it is on. No muss, no fuss, no waiting. The waiting becomes a big sink hole.

Now one would say, ah ha, the iPad. Well yes that could be however it is a bit awkward with it’s on screen keyboard and I happen to use Windows Live Writer to do my writing and that is not available on the iPad. Someone might say “well learn something different” and my response; “This is the best, why leave it”. So the conundrum. 

Now what was it that I was going to write about?

I Live In The Future

New book to review. Nick Bilton of the NY Times has written I Live In The Future. I listened to Nick on this week’s TWiT 266: Musty Shelbang and not only enjoyed the show but enjoyed his telling about his book.

Of course I purchased the book on my Kindle e-book reader. I must admit to reading the intro and into the first chapter and I am thinking about subscribing to the NY Times on my Kindle. I have been a registered member of the NY Times for years (12?) and I enjoy going there.

Based on the premise of the book it just might be good reading for those of you who are still trying to get a handle on the digital world. I will write more as I read.

Blogging Moving Up As Well As Other Technologies.

Reading InformationWeek’s latest issue the lead article, How the Leaders Drive Growth (Sept. 13, 2010) there are some interesting statistics;

“A year ago, just 42% of InformationWeek 500 companies used wikis, blogs, or social networking to reach out to customers, suppliers, and partners. This year, that figure shot up to 72%”.

There are other  statistics and graphs to support what I think are more changes toward a greater acceptance of communication technologies of today.

One other graph shows 59% of respondents “Deployed new types of collaboration software” as well as 23% “Encouraged workers to use Web 2.0 technologies". 

Interesting read and I have written more myself at Curious Voyager.

For The Droid Lover In You – Add Battery Life

OK so this may not be in main stream with topics on this blog however I thought this article in Computerworld would be of interest to some of you. It deals with battery life on an Android operating system.

The article; Improve Android Battery Life: Here’s How by JR Raphael is quite good and on the two pages there are 10 tips worth looking into. I do recommend that you read this.

There is also a QR barcode that will lead you to download a helpful app. The app, JuiceDefender, will work with most Android systems and allows you to further control battery life.

I have to admit that battery life has been one of my issues with my Droid. I have removed Advance Task Killer and added Watch Dog and then removed Watch Dog and went back to Advanced Task Killer. After reading this article I have once again removed Advanced Task Killer. My Droid is running FroYo (2.2) and I read that the Advanced Task Killer is more hurtful than helpful.

Read the article by JR Raphael,  Improve Android Battery Life: Here’s How and then I have added some other articles below.

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I Have Gone Over To The Digital Side

I have an eye opening experience this morning and I think it completes the transformation of an individual going from Analog to Digital. Another position could be that I have gone over to the Dark Side.

To set the scene; I have changed my coffee drinking preference in the morning to McDonald’s (for reasons mentioned in earlier writings) and therefore I am becoming a McDonald’s Blogger. I am sure I am not the only one, however this morning there was an awakening. Well it wasn’t like receiving the “Water Of Life” but close.

I went to get a refill (FREE) and on the way back to my seat I passed an individual reading the newspaper. As I approached him, his back turned toward me, I noticed that his coffee cup had an antenna. My first reaction was “That is a strange place for an antenna.” My second reaction; “Why would anyone put their phone in a coffee cup?”.

When I discovered that the alleged antennal was his coffee stirrer I just about lost it. I know I have been at this way too long.

I started laughing and with everyone looking at me I had to explain and after the explanation I realized the absurdity in the picture. I will never be able to look at another stirrer without wondering who it is connected to or if Big Brother has found a new way to follow us.

I will laugh every time I see this. Laughter really feels good.

More On Location Based Opportunities

This from the Wall St. Journal on the best ways to use location based tools.

From Wikipedia; "A tool is a device that can be used to produce or achieve something, but that is not consumed in the process. Colloquially a tool can also be a procedure or process used for a specific purpose." That purpose could be getting your word out.

So social media can be a tool for getting closer to the consumer, the client. Those whom you wish to reach out to, have a conversation with, and teach them more about you and your business.

A very long time ago in a sales training program I was taught that people buy from friends. The objective was to put your customer/client at ease and let them ask questions. Of course you were to be up front, open, honest and be yourself.

Let people know who you are and go from there.

Three Best Ways to Use Location-Based Social Media - WSJ.com

Tips For New Business Start Up's

Although the link below (from ABC's Good Morning America web site) is aimed at women these tips apply to anyone that wants to go into a business.

In today's economy there are more small business start ups because people are taking things into their own hands for income. There are many ways to do this and just ask a neighbor and I am sure you will get all the advice you can handle.

Better yet read the article I have linked to below. Some good thoughts and idea's. Perhaps even some help if you follow Tory Johnson.

Tory Johnson: Small Business Start-Up Success Stories - ABC News

Discovery

I woke up this morning trying to look at what I do across two blogs; Curious Voyager and Ease of Blogging and I found that in both cases it is discovery.

In one, Ease of Blogging, it is to expand on what I know to hopefully give someone ideas on both how to proceed with blogging as well as thoughts about what to blog. I do this by writing my thoughts (some of which might be original) and also by passing along thoughts of others on the subject of blogging.

I also include thoughts on life, attitude, and work processes. It is all about what we do and someone else’s opinion on how to do it. I don’t have all the answers and I have discovered that other’s do not either. Perhaps in sifting through the different methods of thought we can come up with one that works for us.

Above I stated; “I do this by writing my thoughts (some of which might be original)…”. I wonder about originality sometimes. We are a little bit of everything we have seen, read, and heard. We are a part of all that is going on around us and “real” original thought could be elusive yet we go on thinking and writing.

For blogging this is where the “curator” idea comes from. From Wikipedia; “In contemporary art, the title curator is given to a person who selects and often interprets works of art.” In our case the term ‘art’ could refer to writing. More to the point writing of others. That is what we do when wen pass along links to other blog posts that we think are important for one reason or another and would like you to find them also.

All of it is a part of discovery.

All of us read or follow different writings as well as RSS feeds and linking to them and passing along the information to whomever might be reading. I feel this is an important part of what we do.

I also have personal opinion and if you have read this for some time you have seen that. YOU have to make up your mind what is the right thought for YOU!

For Monday – Go And Discover!@

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Now The Other Side of The Coin

There is always the possibility that something will go wrong with your social media strategy. You must be aware of what is going on out there.

The link below to a GigaOM post at WebWorkerDaily is very well presented and worth your time. All the points in the blog post are very well taken however number 2 should be in the forefront.

You have to spend time reading and searching on your business and products. Perhaps you sign on with a service and do it yourself with some software, just do it.

6 Ways to Avoid a Social Media Meltdown �

Now after you read that here is a simple link (same site) for some interesting information on search and the things you can use search for. I use a number of these.

10 Simple Google Search Tricks