A Delightful Resource - Free Audiobooks

I stumbled upon this resource today. In my quest for interesting content delivered to, played on, and optimized for the iPhone, I consulted my favorite oracle - Google. Via said oracle, I found openculture.com. There are many links to differing libraries that can download iTunes files directly, and can also deliver up .mp3s to be heard on computers and non-Apple devices. While I am still truly delighted by the iPhone, particularly the power of this "small screen" computer and its power to modify the way we (and software) interact, I acknowledge that there are many, many devices out there. If you are interested in audio books for the road, or for background brain-food, check them out.

So take a look at the eBooks and other resources on Open Culture. My applauds to the folks contributing to it.

iPhone App Creation - Plus Mashup Land

I'm working on a small skunkworks project that brings in elements of iPhone app development, Mashups from social networks, Google's OpenSocial API, and interesting black box calcs. Interesting challenges flow the gamut, from UX interaction architecture diagrams, to database schema work, to API access code, to output targetting (taking the user where they desire to ultimately go) - all while trying to maintain and respect the minimalist approach of Web 2.0 development. Fun, challenging, but quite rewarding thus far.

It finally got a name - Generation F

For quite some time, I have been thinking about the societal change that is rolling upon the first world with dramatic and awesome power. The change is primarily technological in nature (though not because I often see much of the world through that lens). It is however how technology, and adaptions to relationships, are modifying/morphing/expanding due to the reach and persistent communication that technology has enabled. This change is evidenced through one entity - if a generation could be called an entity.

The name of what I am speaking was recently coined "Generation F". This is the generation that has grown up with technology and connectedness as a fundamental element (like H, Hydrogen or more pointedly, like a molecule O2 - Oxygen). This connectedness that is a basic and "always-on" part of life is profoundly shaping the expectations, aspirations, and leadership potential of this new generation. Jim Collins wrote about this in the April issue of Inc Magazine, where he sees a profound talent and optimism in the incoming generation - who tragically ironically are the inheritors of bad policy, crushing domestic debt, and environmental burdens greater than any of us can imagine.

I for one am applauding and cheering for Generation F. Let your light shine guys: change the world creatively, passionately, deeply, and help to transform the darkness and disease that threatens us all into light-giving life that serves mankind.

From a business context, Gary Hamel has a great write up that describes the difference in expectations and attitudes that we business leaders must be aware of - the rolling wave is here, whether we choose to see it or not. http://blogs.wsj.com/management/2009/03/24/the-facebook-generation-vs-the-fortune-500/

Essential Stitching of Apps in the Cloud

I have been thinking quite a bit in the last few years about how much functionality is available in the cloud - that is, the web. I have had several conversations with my buddies over in Redmond about it they are keeping a track on what is being stitched together for free on Google and in other domains. Their answer was often "it can't compete", but I am being more and more convinced that the functionality is there - and it can compete. Indeed, I think that these basic apps, that are being interconnected (and free!) are a game changer. Google docs has an amazing wealth of functionality for the average business person and smaller group or company.

That being said, strategic business people also need offline capabilities too. We need the ability to modify and add to documents (spreadsheets, word processing docs) while in a coffee shop, on the airplane, etc. But this needs to be synched to our documents in the sky as well - automatically and without intervention. For that, I ran across a neat little utility called Syncplicity. I am going to give it a spin and see how it works.

Giving of ourselves - Giving life

I was reading a blog newsletter from one of my favorite motivational speakers, Andy Andrews, who relayed a great story ("Christmas Cards, Killer Whales, and Cows") packed with the emotional impact that is truly awesome to hear during this time of year. I, like many others, hope that I can carry this kind of response with me every day of the year. However, I, like the rest, am often caught up with the busy-ness, urgencies, and priorities that I shuffle around to make it all "work".

I find myself being drawn to help those who are truly working to survive in this life, which is one of the reasons that Andy's Cow story touched me so. Jane, the precious woman in his story, was concerned about her guests, and that she did not have anything to share. The back story (I won't be a spoiler here) packs the gut-level punch that needs to revolutionize my thinking. If there is a new year's resolution lesson brewing for me in this, it may be to step up to another level of my labor and creative thinking, equipping my fellow man (and woman) to "simply live".

Linna and I have long been supporters of an amazing organization, called Agros. This year, before the heart-nudge of Andy's Cow story, I felt led to make a contribution in honor of my Dad, who passed away this last October. Agros, like many relief organizations, has a Christmas catalog to give a gift that can change lives in a direct and impactful way. This year, we gave the gift of a small business loan to help the women of central america. This is something my Dad championed throughout his life. In a memorial service for him, I had the current president of Rotary share with me how much Dad had encouraged her, in sticking up to the big guns (in a Navy town), holding her head high, and walking with courage in the great mission that Rotary is about. There he was, encouraging the people who want to live well and make a difference. I am still working through the death of my father, and I will be the first to admit my grief, however as the sweet new days wake me each morning, I am stitching together each of the attributes that made him unique in this world. I will perhaps create a post to introduce you to him and share the stories that are etched in my memory.

Peace to you and may you be blessed, challenged, and courageous in the new year. B.

An Interesting Crossroad

Hanalei Bay Sunset – Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii

A new colleague asked “do you have a blog?”. Well, the answer to that is “Yes. Sort of.” I have 2 blogs that I started then abandoned. I set up those blogs to be contextual; they fit the conversation that I wanted to have for the purpose. One was called “VisualizeIT” and was created during my time at Microsoft, where I was working through a topology control, a widget that enabled the visualization of many servers across an enterprise, and their overall health state. Another blog I created was around photography, though with a dearth of great photo domains out there, I quickly abandoned it.

Here’s what I discovered: Those were not about me. I since have answered my friends question with a flurry of activity to create this conversation. I spend a significant amount of time talking with folks from a wide cross section of life – technology executives, CEOs, design teams, small business owners, folks involved in leadership (business, student bodies, non-profit organizations, church), and perhaps my favorite category, mentoring connections. Hence, this blog that I will attempt to not abandon (with copious amounts of Sulawesi) shall be a third attempt at having a conversation around the topics that exist within the headspace that I find myself in these days.

Thanks for reading. Join me in the journey.