No, this is not Greenland or Antartica. This is the Hudson in January at about 131st Street in NYC.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
I just finished the latest Malcolm Gladwell book, "Outliers" and as with other MG books I very much enjoyed reading it. Gladwell has such a refreshing writing style and he certainly brings forward unusual thoughts and information. His theory about why southeast asian's are better at math than others is a very thought-provoking theory, basically having to do with the structure of numbers in the languages as well as attributing to the work ethic from the agricultural history of rice paddy farming.
That and other topics in the book were uncomfortable reading at times since it seemed bordering on racial/ethnic stereotyping but as usual Gladwell is well resourced and well thought-through. He also provides a detail of his ethnic background including Jamaican heritage and racial blending and this certainly lends credibility and sensitivity to the treatment of this subject.
As with other Gladwell books, Outliers doesn't offer easy and quick take-away's for everyday life. His stuff needs a little soak or percolation time to understand and incorporate into one's world view. As with Tipping Point and Blink, though, his theories and explanations are very capable of changing the way we think about things that are we think are very solid within that world view.
I recommend "Outliers" as required reading if you are seeking to expand your mind. See the side-panel Amazon link if you are wanting to run out (well, not run out but click through) to purchase the book. I get such a trivial amount from any transaction generated that way it is more a public service than a profiteering venture).
Enjoy that it is Friday and enjoy the weekend.
That and other topics in the book were uncomfortable reading at times since it seemed bordering on racial/ethnic stereotyping but as usual Gladwell is well resourced and well thought-through. He also provides a detail of his ethnic background including Jamaican heritage and racial blending and this certainly lends credibility and sensitivity to the treatment of this subject.
As with other Gladwell books, Outliers doesn't offer easy and quick take-away's for everyday life. His stuff needs a little soak or percolation time to understand and incorporate into one's world view. As with Tipping Point and Blink, though, his theories and explanations are very capable of changing the way we think about things that are we think are very solid within that world view.
I recommend "Outliers" as required reading if you are seeking to expand your mind. See the side-panel Amazon link if you are wanting to run out (well, not run out but click through) to purchase the book. I get such a trivial amount from any transaction generated that way it is more a public service than a profiteering venture).
Enjoy that it is Friday and enjoy the weekend.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
My eLife
(While Training to Work on Thursday Morning)
I am working on a new project called My eLife which is creating a comprehensive MindMap dashboard for the various aspects of my online tools and life. It is a work-in-progress as I have not decided how I would use this, whether it is for reference, personal organization, presentation to others, or could be a launching pad for a complex virtual life.
More and more I see the need to organize, coordinate, and synchronize various aspects of the technologies that are becoming more and more of my everyday life. Part of what I consider my leadership edge or my competitive advantage is the acquisition and learning of new tools to streamline my work, make me more effective, or extend myself into the world wide web of information and interaction.
In future posts I will provide a glimpse into the MindMap for My eLife as others might benefit from this approach. I don't want to give too much away since there may be market opportunities here.
If you are interested or have ideas and want to share or collaborate about this, contact me directly.
Contribute, Collaborate, and Share, but most of all, be creative.
I am working on a new project called My eLife which is creating a comprehensive MindMap dashboard for the various aspects of my online tools and life. It is a work-in-progress as I have not decided how I would use this, whether it is for reference, personal organization, presentation to others, or could be a launching pad for a complex virtual life.
More and more I see the need to organize, coordinate, and synchronize various aspects of the technologies that are becoming more and more of my everyday life. Part of what I consider my leadership edge or my competitive advantage is the acquisition and learning of new tools to streamline my work, make me more effective, or extend myself into the world wide web of information and interaction.
In future posts I will provide a glimpse into the MindMap for My eLife as others might benefit from this approach. I don't want to give too much away since there may be market opportunities here.
If you are interested or have ideas and want to share or collaborate about this, contact me directly.
Contribute, Collaborate, and Share, but most of all, be creative.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Journalistic
(While Training to Work on a Rainy Wednesday Morning)
You have to journal a little every day. Yeah, right. How is that possible? I do wish there was an i-Phone app that would allow me to journal directly from that device as then I might do it every day. Of course I am trying to Twitter every day which in turn updates my Facebook status, which is like a journal entry in some respects. In 150 character bytes, however. Come to think of it, maybe that is a good thing.
The first work week of the new year has commenced and I have accomplished a number of things I needed to do starting out of the gates. It was a pleasure to do project planning for Financial Aid system replacement using Mind-Manager and JVC Gantt prior to sending to MS Project. I will have to work out the proper sequence for getting the right value out of each of the tools. I think doing the initial phase, task, and rough sequencing in MindManager then sending to JVC Gantt to add durations, predecessors, resources and date constraints, then sending to MS Project for final refinement and for reporting and tracking. I do need to check out if it is possible to send back to JVC Gantt and sync back up to MindManager for re-planning later on.
Of course if I could simply use the MM/JVC Gantt duo for all my project planning and tracking needs I could keep MS Project out of the equation but for now the products don't seem mature enough to do all I need it to do particularly from a reporting stand-point.
One thing that hasn't gone so well is my desire to empty my email inbox every day. Getting more than 80 emails daily just overwhelms my ability to process them. I am going to keep trying, though. I hate the thought of using automatic filters and rules but it may be necessary. If anyone has creative ideas about this, let me know. I am already trying to get myself off emailing lists but those seem insidious and viral.
I am going to close this journal session now and send to the blog. I want to offer my readership (yeah, right) a little more than personal snapshots and snippets of poetic thoughts (as enjoyable and meaningful as I know those have been) so I'll try to include more posts of value (PoV?).
The thought for the day comes from Malcolm Gladwell's recent book, "Outliers", as he quotes and old saying, "No one who gets up before dawn 360 days a year fails to make his family rich." Sure there are lots of questions and comments possible about this, but for a hard-working dude who leaves his family before dawn every workday, it is something to hold onto.
Enjoy the rainy day wherever you are.
You have to journal a little every day. Yeah, right. How is that possible? I do wish there was an i-Phone app that would allow me to journal directly from that device as then I might do it every day. Of course I am trying to Twitter every day which in turn updates my Facebook status, which is like a journal entry in some respects. In 150 character bytes, however. Come to think of it, maybe that is a good thing.
The first work week of the new year has commenced and I have accomplished a number of things I needed to do starting out of the gates. It was a pleasure to do project planning for Financial Aid system replacement using Mind-Manager and JVC Gantt prior to sending to MS Project. I will have to work out the proper sequence for getting the right value out of each of the tools. I think doing the initial phase, task, and rough sequencing in MindManager then sending to JVC Gantt to add durations, predecessors, resources and date constraints, then sending to MS Project for final refinement and for reporting and tracking. I do need to check out if it is possible to send back to JVC Gantt and sync back up to MindManager for re-planning later on.
Of course if I could simply use the MM/JVC Gantt duo for all my project planning and tracking needs I could keep MS Project out of the equation but for now the products don't seem mature enough to do all I need it to do particularly from a reporting stand-point.
One thing that hasn't gone so well is my desire to empty my email inbox every day. Getting more than 80 emails daily just overwhelms my ability to process them. I am going to keep trying, though. I hate the thought of using automatic filters and rules but it may be necessary. If anyone has creative ideas about this, let me know. I am already trying to get myself off emailing lists but those seem insidious and viral.
I am going to close this journal session now and send to the blog. I want to offer my readership (yeah, right) a little more than personal snapshots and snippets of poetic thoughts (as enjoyable and meaningful as I know those have been) so I'll try to include more posts of value (PoV?).
The thought for the day comes from Malcolm Gladwell's recent book, "Outliers", as he quotes and old saying, "No one who gets up before dawn 360 days a year fails to make his family rich." Sure there are lots of questions and comments possible about this, but for a hard-working dude who leaves his family before dawn every workday, it is something to hold onto.
Enjoy the rainy day wherever you are.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Poetic thought for the day
I ran across this excerpt during my train ride to work this morning:
"In this way diametrically opposed but equally extreme psychic states such as pain and ecstacy, despair and bliss, are comparable experiences because they both usurp and annihilate time. They create their own sense of eternity."
On page 231 in "How to Read a Poem" by Edward Hirsch.
"In this way diametrically opposed but equally extreme psychic states such as pain and ecstacy, despair and bliss, are comparable experiences because they both usurp and annihilate time. They create their own sense of eternity."
On page 231 in "How to Read a Poem" by Edward Hirsch.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Testing Journal Transfer to Blogger
Testing the ability to post from my journal written in The Journal which is a Windows-based journaling application.
I am training to work on Friday, January 2nd, hoping to get a good day's work done as a catch-up for last year and try to get a toe-hold on the challenging new year.
I am also hoping that Linda and Vincent will join me in the city this afternoon for a last look at the holidays for this year. From here out it is on with the grind including taking down the lights on the house this weekend. At least they will come down faster than they went up. Coiling the light strings is always a challenge, though.
My best wishes for a healthy and happy new year for anyone who reads this entry.
I am training to work on Friday, January 2nd, hoping to get a good day's work done as a catch-up for last year and try to get a toe-hold on the challenging new year.
I am also hoping that Linda and Vincent will join me in the city this afternoon for a last look at the holidays for this year. From here out it is on with the grind including taking down the lights on the house this weekend. At least they will come down faster than they went up. Coiling the light strings is always a challenge, though.
My best wishes for a healthy and happy new year for anyone who reads this entry.
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