Do Photographs Change the world?

From DigitalJournalist:

"For several weeks in the spring of 2003, LIFE solicited answers to that question on its own Web site (www.LIFE.com) and that of the highly regarded Digital Journalist (www.digitaljournalist.org), an online publication affiliated with the University of Texas. We received many opinions, most of which supported our conceit that a photo could change the world—music to our ears—along with one detailed, intelligent rebuttal. “I really do not believe that photographs actually change anything, least of all the ‘World,’” wrote Joshua Haruni. “To suggest that photographs, like the written word, have had a profound effect on our lives is simply wrong. Just imagine suggesting that Picture Post or Time or LIFE had as much impact on our lives as Das Kapital, Mein Kampf or the Bible . . . Photographs can be very beautiful, informative, ugly or anything else the photographer chooses to show. Photographs can definitely inspire us, but the written word has the ability to spark the imagination to greater depths than any photograph, whose content is limited to what exists in the frame.” Mr. Haruni is, by the way, a documentary photographer.

His argument forced us to once again confront our premise. We compared Mr. Haruni’s thoughts and those of other respondents and finally determined: A collection of pictures that “changed the world” is a thing worth contemplating, if only to arrive at some resolution about the influential nature of photography and whether it is limited, vast or in between. "

link

Discuss it amongst yourself and then post the correct answer. ;)

As if that was possible. . .

In the past, I have taken the position that photos can't end wars; many of the great war photographers have pursued this quixotical windmill and failed. Photos, like the written word, are ingested via the filter of our preconceptions. When people look at a photograph, they see different things. One may see the "senseless waste of our youth"; the other may see the "unfortunate cost of freedom and justice." Photojournalism works best where we don't have a "dog in the fight" and/or don't know anything about it. Photjournalism can put something on our radar and shape how we view it when we first find out about it. But once it is there, too many have preconceptions that a photo cannot overcome.

Put another way, photos can help form opinions, but once opinions are made, photographs probably cannot change them. . .

Now, I did use the terms "In the past, I have taken the position. . ." I have not completely thought this through and I reserve the right to be pursuaded by a good point or two.

Technorati Tags:

Photojournalism
Lifee Magazine
War Photographer

Why every business should use a blog search tool.

Mark Cuban writes:

"The best example of this is searching for information about your own company’s products, employees or the company itself. If you are in corporate management at McDonalds, doing a search that lists the McDonalds website first, and McDonalds corporate or related websites 8 of the next 10, isnt going to be of much help. Worse yet, the sites listed are rarely going to change, and with more than 2mm sites referencing McDonalds, the chances of the company really getting an understanding about what is being said about it online is slim.

I like to do what I call my “daily searches”. I search for references to the Mavs, to HDNet , to Icerocket, to any of the films we are releasing or are in theaters and more. I want to know what is being said online about the businesses I am heavily invested in. If I know what is going on in the web, I can track any issues, and where necessary, respond.

It used to be an old customer service mantra, that “One upset customer can tell 20 people about how poorly your company performed, and those 20 people could tell 20 more and your business could really suffer. Keep all your customers happy, and you won’t have to worry”. Those numbers are miniscule compared to today.

In today’s world, one upset customer can write in their blog about how upset they are about your product or service and it could be linked to by any number of other blogs, which in turn are linked to by any number of blogs, which is in turn picked up by a tv news show. In 24 hours or less, tens to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people have heard the complaint and your business and brand are at risk.

In my business life “freshness” of information from a search is far, far more important to me than relevancy. I want to know what is being said, and the sooner the better.

This was, is and will continue to be the focus of Blogs.icerocket.com (it will be renamed www.blogscour.com, but we arent sure when)."

link

Mark says it pretty well. I use multiple tools because I am not sure which one is the best, but I am going to try to get it down to a couple.

Technorati Tags

Blog
Search
IceRocket
BlogScour

Failing to blog post - - oops!

Dadlog writes:

"Once upon a time I promised myself I’d never write a “gee I’m sorry I haven’t been posting” post. Well, never say never.

Work’s been just a tad nutty lately. Which is good. No, which is bloody great. The trade off has been a slow down on blogging on all fronts.

If any of you know how to squeeze more hours into the day, please let me know!"

link

1) Never make a promise you can't keep. ;)

2) I need to be notified also by whoever discovers the squeeze hours hack.

Fred On Something - Why Blog?

Fred On Something writes:

"The question I have to ask is: why do I blog and what do I blog about?

I use my blog as a knowledge management tool. I mostly talk about my profession’s related subjects: computer sciences. The goals of this blog are simple:

* The first goal of that blog, one year ago, was to increase my English skills. Then it evolved to:
* To have a place to communicate some ideas I have about subjects in relation to my domain of interests, and to start discussions about them.
* To have a place where I can find discussions and ideas I had on particular subjects.
* To have a place to meet new people that shares the same ideas.
* To have a place where I can stimulate my creativity. The stimulation of my creativity will be done by writing and discussing with my peers.

It is a professional and social tool. In the past, people were communicating and developing social networks in person or by phone or mail. Now, it is possible to do it by the Internet via forums, emails and blogs."

Nice list! The original prompt was due to a post that talked about job finalists that wrote things in their blogs that disqualified them from their jobs. I prefer to focus on this part of the post; if your reasons for blogging are good and you make it a solid "professional and social tool," you should benefit from blogging. If someone exhibits a pattern of destructive use of blogging, I would question hiring them also; someone who shows constructive use would be a benefit to any team.

I rarely post directly to my blog; most posts are written in draft mode and then reviewed and posted later. I have changed posts because I thought my first wording was unfair or inappropriate. I have some posts that were killed and never posted. That said, the posts that do get published are ones I would have no problem with any employer, customer, friend, or family member reading. In fact, I hope that they better explain me and my strengths. After all, honest and transparent communication is what blogging and other relationships are all about.

New Sports Photography Book -- Quick Review

I picked up a book over lunch today: Digital Sports Photography by G. Newman Lowrance. It is targeted at “beginner—intermediate” by in paging through it, I found a few things that made it worth the $35 price tag (Buy at Amazon for less).

1. Photography is excellent and many shots have the little “side stories” that provide great insight.

2. Chapter 4 -- “What an editor looks for” at 20 pages is worth the price of the book alone since it is written by Kevin Terrell who used to be managing editor at NFL photos and has now moved over to WireImage.

3. Chapters 5 though 10 are approximately 150 pages of how to shoot baseball, basketball, hockey, football, tennis, and soccer. Each chapter is fully illustrated with shots and suggestions including positioning, what to watch for, equipment, etc. Again, a good refresher along with my notes before a new season, as well as a great tool for friends and students that want to learn more.


Technorati: sports, photography, “Digital sports photography”, “Book Review” , “G. Newman Lowrance”, “Kevin Terrell”

"Good enough" photography is receipe for disaster

It is critical that your budget follows your priorities; I've already talked about this. Let's apply this to media photography. Now, I am speaking to an industry as a whole and not trying to single out certain publications. Don't take this an attack, take it as a chance to think!

Rule – Ignore claims and look at the budgets and results. Does publication XYZ value photographic art, or just do the bare minimum to “have some pictures.” You can quickly answer this question by looking at a couple of issues of the publication.

So why should you care? Hint – the bottom line is critical to all publications. Your image is your bottom line.

The purpose of photographs is capture attention and tell a story. Mass media is communications; doesn't work without a storyteller and a receiver. Good photographs make you want to receive the story and aid in the reception, understanding and retention; poor ones fail to capture attention and/or distract from reception/understanding of the story.

Successful publications are successful story tellers. Attract attention, tell the story effectively, and build a relationship.

Heresy – Great headlines and great writing are important, but cannot guarantee success. Don't believe me? Imagine a test! Put the same writing on the newsstand in two publications; one with great photographs; the other mediocre. In six months, one will be growing, the other dead. Reader satisfaction and story retention will drive growth. Little notice will be paid to the latter; the only question is not “why did it die?” but “was it ever alive?”

Fact – Multi-channel multimedia means you have to be GREAT to be heard. “Good enough” is so far lost in the noise (#72,347 out of 1,124,678 on the latest Google search) that it is a dinosaur headed for extinction. When this dinosaur dies in the forest and no one is there to see it, did it really ever live? The answer is yes, but not for the reasons you think: real dinosaurs can leave behind oil, media dinosaurs just leave a greasy stain where someone's money used to be. . .

Heresy – current circulation rates do not prove your “good enough photos” tactic is wise. Your lost in the noise; not completely dead. You will still connect with a few; even a blind squirrel will find a few nuts and maybe your publication. The sad part is, you don't even know how many opportunities you are wasting. There are billions of people out there looking for a good source of information; you're simply not on their radar.

Heresy – budget constraints cannot dictate lowering photography standards. Everyone has budget challenges. There are wise cuts and self-inflicted wounds. Saving money via “good enough” is guarantees failure; it wastes the writing and distribution money spent because the message never connects. Its lost in the white noise. Get “great” photography at the best cost you can and find other places to cut costs. Also realize that growth makes it easier to pay for great photography; how much do you need to invest in your image?

Heresy – too many publications are relying on a monopoly for life support. “We're the only newspaper in a 30 mile radius – we have a stranglehold on obituaries, court postings, wedding announcements, and want ads.” Sales based on being the only option simply props the dead body up. Doesn't mean the publication is alive, only prevented from being buried.

Fact – The minute an alternative is available, the speed of flight will approach the speed of light. Craigslist anyone? Your brand won't survive in the Internet age if it is known as: “we suck, but you don't have an option.” The Internet changes the barrier to entry for competitors from a chasm to a speed-bump.

Conclusion: Your bottom line is your image. Which most closely matches your image:

o positive with great photographs that build your product.
o mediocre with mediocre photographs that show minimum effort necessary to not fail completely.
o poor with poor or no photographs that indicate a dinosaur on life support

I realize subscriptions are slipping for many publications. Budget cutting is necessary. The real question is will cuts accelerate the decline or will money be spent on key things to avoid further decline? People don't subscribe/resubscribe to mediocre or poor brand images.


Technorati: newspaper media photography branding image

"Good enough" photography is receipe for disaster

It is critical that your budget follows your priorities; I've already talked about this. Let's apply this to media photography. Now, I am speaking to an industry as a whole and not trying to single out certain publications. Don't take this an attack, take it as a chance to think!

Rule – Ignore claims and look at the budgets and results. Does publication XYZ value photographic art, or just do the bare minimum to “have some pictures.” You can quickly answer this question by looking at a couple of issues of the publication.

So why should you care? Hint – the bottom line is critical to all publications. Your image is your bottom line.

The purpose of photographs is capture attention and tell a story. Mass media is communications; doesn't work without a storyteller and a receiver. Good photographs make you want to receive the story and aid in the reception, understanding and retention; poor ones fail to capture attention and/or distract from reception/understanding of the story.

Successful publications are successful story tellers. Attract attention, tell the story effectively, and build a relationship.

Heresy – Great headlines and great writing are important, but cannot guarantee success. Don't believe me? Imagine a test! Put the same writing on the newsstand in two publications; one with great photographs; the other mediocre. In six months, one will be growing, the other dead. Reader satisfaction and story retention will drive growth. Little notice will be paid to the latter; the only question is not “why did it die?” but “was it ever alive?”

Fact – Multi-channel multimedia means you have to be GREAT to be heard. “Good enough” is so far lost in the noise (#72,347 out of 1,124,678 on the latest Google search) that it is a dinosaur headed for extinction. When this dinosaur dies in the forest and no one is there to see it, did it really ever live? The answer is yes, but not for the reasons you think: real dinosaurs can leave behind oil, media dinosaurs just leave a greasy stain where someone's money used to be. . .

Heresy – current circulation rates do not prove your “good enough photos” tactic is wise. Your lost in the noise; not completely dead. You will still connect with a few; even a blind squirrel will find a few nuts and maybe your publication. The sad part is, you don't even know how many opportunities you are wasting. There are billions of people out there looking for a good source of information; you're simply not on their radar.

Heresy – budget constraints cannot dictate lowering photography standards. Everyone has budget challenges. There are wise cuts and self-inflicted wounds. Saving money via “good enough” is guarantees failure; it wastes the writing and distribution money spent because the message never connects. Its lost in the white noise. Get “great” photography at the best cost you can and find other places to cut costs. Also realize that growth makes it easier to pay for great photography; how much do you need to invest in your image?

Heresy – too many publications are relying on a monopoly for life support. “We're the only newspaper in a 30 mile radius – we have a stranglehold on obituaries, court postings, wedding announcements, and want ads.” Sales based on being the only option simply props the dead body up. Doesn't mean the publication is alive, only prevented from being buried.

Fact – The minute an alternative is available, the speed of flight will approach the speed of light. Craigslist anyone? Your brand won't survive in the Internet age if it is known as: “we suck, but you don't have an option.” The Internet changes the barrier to entry for competitors from a chasm to a speed-bump.

Conclusion: Your bottom line is your image. Which most closely matches your image:

o positive with great photographs that build your product.
o mediocre with mediocre photographs that show minimum effort necessary to not fail completely.
o poor with poor or no photographs that indicate a dinosaur on life support

I realize subscriptions are slipping for many publications. Budget cutting is necessary. The real question is will cuts accelerate the decline or will money be spent on key things to avoid further decline? People don't subscribe/resubscribe to mediocre or poor brand images.


Technorati: newspaper media photography branding image

Heresy again-- Child seats necessary?

The Freakenomics guys, Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, are at it again:

(Note: Longer than normal quotes below because of the difficulty of retreiving NY Times archives).

According to the NHTSA manual, more than 80 percent of car seats are improperly installed.

Perhaps the single most compelling statistic about car seats in the NHTSA manual was this one: 'They are 54 percent effective in reducing deaths for children ages 1 to 4 in passenger cars.'

But 54 percent effective compared with what? The answer, it turns out, is this: Compared with a child's riding completely unrestrained. There is another mode of restraint, meanwhile, that doesn't cost $200 or require a four-day course to master: seat belts.

For children younger than roughly 24 months, seat belts plainly won't do. For them, a car seat represents the best practical way to ride securely, and it is certainly an improvement over the days of riding shotgun on mom's lap. But what about older children? Is it possible that seat belts might afford them the same protection as car seats?

The answer can be found in a trove of government data called the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which compiles police reports on all fatal crashes in the U.S. since 1975. These data include every imaginable variable in a crash, including whether the occupants were restrained and how.
Even a quick look at the FARS data reveals a striking result: among children 2 and older, the death rate is no lower for those traveling in any kind of car seat than for those wearing seat belts. There are many reasons, of course, that this raw data might be misleading. Perhaps kids in car seats are, on average, in worse wrecks. Or maybe their parents drive smaller cars, which might provide less protection.
But no matter what you control for in the FARS data, the results don't change. In recent crashes and old ones, in big vehicles and small, in one-car crashes and multiple-vehicle crashes, there is no evidence that car seats do a better job than seat belts in saving the lives of children older than 2. (In certain kinds of crashes -- rear-enders, for instance -- car seats actually perform worse.) The real answer to why child auto fatalities have been falling seems to be that more and more children are restrained in some way. Many of them happen to be restrained in car seats, since that is what the government mandates, but if the government instead mandated proper seat-belt use for children, they would likely do just as well / without the layers of expense, regulation and anxiety associated with car seats.

NHTSA, however, has been pushing the car-seat movement ever further. The agency now advocates that all older children (usually starting at about age 4) ride in booster seats, which boost a child to a height where the adult lap-and-shoulder belts fit properly. Could this be a step in the wrong direction? In 2001, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety sent NHTSA a memo warning that its booster-seat recommendations were 'getting ahead of science and regulations' and that certain booster seats ''did not improve belt fit, and some actually worsened the fit.' (all emphasis added)

North Dakota has a booster seat law taking effect this year. I want what is safest for my son. It seriously concerns me that many states are passing laws without proper tests and may be making the situation worse.

Seth's Blog: Before you spend a lot of time and money on a logo

"What I hope you'll see is that all a logo needs is to be GOOD ENOUGH (I know, I'm the guy who says good enough is a curse). Why is it okay to have a non-wonderful logo? Because the logo is just a placeholder. It gains value AFTER it hits the world, because people associate things with it."

I hapen to be working on a new logo and I found this very interesting.

Dear Microsoft, I am Dumping You

"For years I have been a big fan of your company, products and people. In fact, I own Microsoft shares. And I've even been to the Microsoft Museum. Unfortunately, I am dumping you for OS X and Web 2.0.

Let me say first that I understand the position you're in, really. You're trying to please all the people all the time. There's a lot of pressure to perform like you did as an adolescent. Unfortunately, for all of the wonderful changes that are taking place inside, I still feel that you're not at the center of my life as you once were. And I am not the only one who is fed up. Just look at Jeff Jarvis. He bought a PowerBook too."

I am heading in the same direction. Firefox and Thunderbird and my next laptop is a powerbook.

IBM makes it to 2001 by 2005 -- No HAL Jokes

On Demand Business : Blogs : Todd Watson: "Here's the deal: I'm your new IBM blogger. I know your purchase order didn't mention anything about getting a blogger, but one of our recent market research studies indicated that you wanted one, and I happened to be standing in a hallway in Armonk with a red target painted on my forehead.

So, I'm it. Nice to meet you, virtually speaking. Of course, there will be plenty more where I came from. (Actually, there are already are on other parts of the IBM Web...I'm just the first blogger on this particular area of our Web site. Over time, I'll be pointing you to other, more knowledgeable bloggers in given topic areas).

Remember, this is IBM: We travel in large packs. ; ) I'm just here to help get the conversation going.

As for my day job, you can read my bio above, and I'll likely be writing more about what I do at IBM here in future posts. However, I keep pretty current on the Blogosphere, and the average life expectancy of the corporate blogger has recently dwindled close to that of the average fruit fly. I figure that now that I've started blogging, I'm out of here within the next few hours. "

Better late than never. And I understand the caution given the large corporate culture and is not sure if it is ready for this. . .

SIMPLICITY

SIMPLICITY: "




SIMPLICITY is an experimental research program at the MIT Media Lab, focused on developing technologies for design—designs that are simpler to understand, easier to use, and, ultimately, more enjoyable."

Worth checking out. At least their intention is in the right place. Of course, the challange, as it often is in life, is to stop before you go to far. . .

Avoid Cliches!

>Creating Passionate Users: Avoid cliches like the plague: "when I was still a Sun employee, the education marketing folks scheduled a photo shoot for a catalog/brochure on their customer training courses. When I heard about the new brochure, I pleaded, 'Whatever you do, PLEASE don't show happy people smiling and pointing at the computer screen.' Happycomputerpeople

But it was too late...

Try checking out the brochures of technical training companies, and see how little real differentiation there appears to be. I'm not saying there aren't huge variations in quality, topics, methods, etc.,-- I'm saying that you'd never know it from the look and feel of their communication. And I'm not just singling out computer training--the overall 'sameness' problem shows up everywhere from computer books to banks to churches to software to cars...

Before you can get them to be passionate, you have to get their attention. If the stuff on your website or brochure or book could be interchanged with any of your competitors, it might be that you're using a cliche, or at least falling into the conservative standards."

Great article by Kathy. I have joke to go along with it, but that is for another day.

Another Reason to hate Flash Web Sites

Don Giannatti wrote on his site:

"You are planning a redesign, aren't you? I visited three sites today that are agents' sites, Reps for photographers. All three had Flash intro pages. All three are totally invisible to Google. None of them had a single rank on Google. No Meta Tags, No page names. No content to be indexed. When I Googled their URL Google said 'No Match'. Wow.

So they build a page to tell the world about the talent that they represent and then do everything they can to not be found. Unbelievable. Stupid planning and devastatingly poor web production - what a combination.

And astoundingly all three had talent that supposedly built web sites. What they meant is that they made Flash thingies that looked really cool, just didn't get the job done when it comes to actually building a site that works for their clients. "

Add slowness, plug-in needed, hard to find and fix all errors, and hard to navigate, and you have the reasons I avoid flash sites like the plague. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.

Fargo AirSho

Fargo AirSho

Just finished shooting the Fargo AirSho Sunday. Took my three-year-old son Cooper and met some family at the show. Gave me a great afternoon of photography and family. Cooper loved the aircraft and the chance to play with his cousins. He started talking about the “airplanes” at 7:30AM when he woke up, and he took the toy plane he got at the show to bed last-night. I enjoyed a chance to shoot the show, including the Red Barron Squadron, and the Blue Angels. It was a sunny and hot day; temp was in the 90's with hot sun and humid. A slight breeze saved it. We used a squirt bottle to keep the kids cool.

Again, it was a learning curve, but I picked up the process real quick, learning how to anticipate good shots, what to look for, what settings were best, lens choice, etc. Early shots were throw-aways, but by the time the Blue Angels were flying, I got numerous shots that I was very pleased with.

Lessons learned:

o If you are shooting blind; shoot with two people. I had my brother-in-law there and we both scanned the sky and alerted each other where the planes were coming from.

o Position on the “sun end” of the field. The sun was from the south; I positioned my self at the south end with a clear view to the north. The teams try to focus the center of the action in front of the center of the crowd. Shooting involves panning with the aircraft as they fly past. On the south end, you have less of the shots with sun flare.

o On a two show, set up and shoot wide angle video on the first day. Teams like the Blue Angels perform a highly timed and customized routine. Watch the tape with a notebook and a stopwatch so you know what to expect and where the best shots will be. Many sports are reaction; hope you recognize and get the good shot. When Dave Black shoots skating, he has a sketch book with diagrams of each skaters routine so by the finals, he knows where the shots will be. Dave did the same thing when shooting bull riding for SI; he watched tapes of the bull's tendencies. You can know exactly where the planes will be every second of the performance; why not take advantage and make the best shots?

o Use a zoom lens. I normally shoot fixed length lens most of the time for fast action sports (400mmf2.8, 300mmf2.8, etc.) I had periods where I simply could not track the planes, lost focus lock, etc. A quick twist of the zoom to a wider angle allowed me to get the focus point back on target and then I zoomed back in for shots.

o Look for options. Use the zoom to get foreground objects like flags, parked planes, or other objects to offset and frame the shots of the planes flying past.

o Look for crowd reactions; the utter amazement and joy in a small child may be a better shot than the 15th pass of the flying team.

o Look for unexpected shot. Everyone wants a shot that shows the entire plane. At an air show, that will involve including 15 strangers that will walk in front of your shot, pick their noses in the background, and/or be taking the same snapshot. Look for a small part of the plane, an angle, a reflection, or an interaction between a fan (especially a kid) and the plan. Look to frame shots of a plan with a part from another plane.


This week, unfortunately, is a very busy week for my day job. So I probably will not get anything posted to the photoblog until mid week. But watch that space for some shots of the Blue Angels and the Fargo AirSho. I have had a few friends and family review the slide show and I am excited to share them wider via the web.


photography
aircraft
Blue Angels
Air Show
F/A-18
military jets
Red Barron Squadron

"People join companies but they leave managers."

David V. Lorenzo: Employee Engagement is Local

"At Gallup, we have done some research that shows that 16% of the US Working Population is Actively Disengaged. This means that on average, 16% of the people in your company are actively working to destroy the culture you are trying to create. Another 55% are stuck in neutral (not engaged). They are waiting for someone to give them a push. Finally, 29% are really into what they are doing (Engaged).

Our research has told us that there is one major factor that makes all the difference in improving this environment – the workgroup manager. People join companies but they leave managers."

Amazing statistics and conclusion.

Good News, there are effective Managers

Open Loops:

"The good news is there are good managers who actively seek out ways to support their employees. Now let’s pay homage to them and list the empowering practices that get their employees excited about working for them and performing at a high level. Use the comment section below to tell us about your great manager."

I refer you back to Open Loops for the comment section.

What Managers do wrong.-- Bert Webb's list

Bert Webb at Open Loops:

*
Playing “Gotcha” with evaluations – Allowing employee mistakes to accumulate with no feedback given. Then, during annual evaluations, dredging all of the mistakes up and documenting them on the evaluation, allowing the employee no chance for improvement.
*
Not being honest with employees – Telling them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.
*
Not providing an avenue for employee input in the organization, department, office, etc.
*
Not sharing the credit when things go right.
*
Not taking responsibility – Deflecting the blame to others when things “go South”.
*
Not providing support or training when needed.
*
Not giving clear instructions and blaming the employee when results are less than expected.
*
Delegating the responsibility for accomplishing a task, but not providing the requisite authority to get it done.
*
Not providing feedback in a timely fashion to allow revisions or corrective measures that could be taken before the project due date."

Review Webb's comments for more items and post suggestions of your own!

Teaching to teach before teaching to lead.

Creating Passionate Users

"Just because you've used lots of software doesn't mean you can write code. Just because you've been in lots of buildings doesn't mean you can be an architect. And just because you've logged a million frequent flyer miles doesn't mean you can fly a plane.
But if that's all ridiculously obvious, why do some people believe that just because they've taken classes, they can teach? (Or just because they've read lots of books, they can write one?) The problem isn't thinking that they can do it, the problem is thinking they can do it without having to learn, study, or practice."

Maybe Fred IS onto Something! Blogging Cards

Fred On Something

"I will start using this card when I will go to India in 2 months. I will not have any permanent address or phone numbers. The only permanent thing I know that I will have is this domain name. This card will be good for years, as long as I pay 9$ per years to keep the domain name.

Why using that card? Nowadays, what is important is the development of our social and relation network. This card is a way to aggregate new nodes to my network. People to whom I will leave that “blogging card” will be able to know where I am, what I am working on and will be able to contact me anytime, independent of where I am in the world. These little informative cards can be seen as paper link to this website. I think that website can become the core node of my professional, social and relation network.

Why do I use the name “Blogging Cards”? For what “blogging” signify to me. This is not just a Business card, it is much more. If I give it to someone, it is because I hope to keep a contact with him, not only a business contact, but a social and professional one. It is why I call it a “Blogging Card”, because blogging is a social activity, an activity of socialization, of knowledge sharing and ideas exploration. If I give that card to someone, it is because I wish to redirect him into that place, to discuss and share that knowledge and these ideas."

Why do we keep ignoring good advice?

Don Giannatti wrote:

"I typed a simple outline for what I thought needed to be done.
1. New portfolio - new images - NEW...
2. New website (maybe a simple blog design with some portfolios... easily updated)
3. Direct mail campaign to 200 selected clients with link-back to website material
4. An 'editorial' schedule for updating the portfolio, web site, photoblog and more (of course keeping a busy schedule in mind)
5. A look at some totally different markets for his work. Fine art, stock and more.
"

Don't worry Don, I think your advice is good and I am going to do it!

Why Journal?

Moleskine Journals - Gadling - www.gadling.com _

"Keeping a journal is one of the best things you will ever do. I’m not exaggerating. I’ve been keeping one since I was 16, and I have literally written over ten thousand pages in an effort to account for many of the things I’ve done, people I’ve met, places I’ve gone, thoughts I’ve had (more dumb thoughts than smart ones, BTW…going back through these old pages can sometimes be embarrassing). BUT! That said, you will never regret committing to paper or bits your life’s details. Trying to keep them all in your head is mostly impossible.

But if this is too burdensome, that is, even if you don’t keep a personal journal about your daily life, you should at least consider keeping one when you travel. And one of the most important things about keeping a travel journal, is having a good notebook to write in. If you scribble in a standard cheapo notebook, the pages will wither and fray, and overtime your memories will be lost, to quote Blade Runner, like tears in rain."

Thanks to Moleskine for the reference.

The Threat of Pigeons and Other Fundamentalist

The Threat of Pigeons and Other Fundamentalists:

"People in power usually want to stay there. And one way they think they can do this is by enforcing rigid adherence to a set of principles that they believe are responsible for their organization's success. By requiring employees to abide by these superstitions -- better known as company policies -- rather than examining the facts, they build organizations that appear streamlined. In fact, they're doomed."

Again, Seth Godin stimulates thought and discussion. There are some that will dismiss this out of hand as wrong; others that will adopt it as what is wrong with every company in America. If you are going to be around that many pigeons, don't wear your good hat and shoes! Some values transcend time and should never be abandoned; some things are thought of as values, but really harken back to a former age of management styles and don't work today. The key for those who seek to lead is to be willing to recognize the pigeons; even when it is themselves, and adjust the things that stand in the way of break away growth.

BTW, those that realize the policy is wrong, but enforce rigid adherence to remain in power are neither leaders or managers. They are exploiters and they are a cancer in any organization they touch. True leaders have the responsibility to stockholders to identify and remove them before they drive too many good associates away.

Quick question: how does the 3pm Check-in rule that is rigidly enforced by most hotels serve the customers? Or is it just pigion @#$@#%^**!!!! :)

Quick Microsoft Joke!

Marketing Memos: Does Microsoft or Novell have POS figured out?

"During this effort, Microsoft – the seemingly endless nemesis of all things Linux – released Windows Embedded for Point of Service, or WEPOS (which unfortunately is pronounced “we pause”, which is a better explanation of their Longhorn development efforts)"

:)

David Allen and GTD in Wired Magazine

Wired News: GTD: A New Cult for the Info Age: "Rapidly acquiring Dr. Atkins status with followers hoping to slim down their to-do lists, Allen said his holding company plans to capitalize on the book's success with a range of merchandise as well as more personal coaching seminars. But he wears the 'guru' crown uneasily.

'To some degree, I'd rather just slip away unnoticed, because the message is really the process, not the person,' he said. 'My favorite gurus are the ones who are least concerned with being a guru, and that's what I aspire to.'"

David sounds like the type of manager I would like to work for. . .

Chair Anyone? .

Russell Executive Mesh Chair.

Price seems right and I need a new chair at home. Might be a better option than the Aero chair I am saving for at work and I can dump the savings into a flat panel monitor!

Priorities in Statements v. Priorities in Action.

Cliff Atkinson has a post on his blog Beyond Bullets that discusses a Business 2.0 article on the secret CEO skills. He makes a point that brings up a frustration of mine:

"With at least 20% of the top 25 skills directly related to communication skills, it makes sense for any organization to invest at least 20% of its training budget to developing them."

A company cannot demand or, even worse, evaluate people on commincations skills including the use of presentations to large groups if they are unwilling to devote training dollars and time to the issue.

Companies often make statements of what is important to them. But someone in the company needs to take off the blinders and examine if the money and time is spent to support those statements, or if they are simply made on the wish theory that if they are proclaimed loud and often, they will spontanously appear on their own. I have worked for a company like this in the past; I have friends and family members that work for ones now.

Perhaps the most important CEO skill is creditibility with the people they lead. The associates have a pretty good BS detector and know when the emperor is wearing no clothes, has the trousers burning in the corner, is pulling ideas from an exposed orifice, or any other cliche you want to insert. As the organization grows in size, most associates only know the leader through these communiques. An obvious false or self-serving statement and the resumes of many bright individual start getting updated. . .

The power of full engagement

Power of Full Engagement Self-Assessment

The book is on my current reading list; I also just listened to the book on CD. The above link takes you to a free graded test to assess where you are at on the engagement spectrum.

Astrologer sues Nasa

Ananova - Astrologer sues Nasa

"A Russian astrologer is suing Nasa after claiming the probe they smashed into a comet meant she had to rewrite all her horoscopes.

Marina Bai wants 170,000 [pounds] in damages after Nasa's Deep Impact probe crashed into the Tempel 1 comet.

She said the collision will change the orbit of the comet and therefore affect the night skyscape, and she will be unable to read horoscopes properly without lots of extra research."

A sure sign we are exporting capitalism: frivilious lawsuits means Lawyer commercials on TV are not far behind!

Noise Ninja and Epson P-2000 Reviews

Vincent Laforet of the New York Times has some product reviews in the July Sportsshooter Newsletter.

"Noise Ninja by Picture Code is wonderful piece of software that I would recommend every single digital photographer take a serious look into - especially sports photographers."

"The Epson-2000 is the first storage device that I have looked into seriously due to its professional features/specifications - and although I really like it, I think that it's probably worth waiting for the second generation of the device to come out before making a purchase."

Noise Ninja is on my to-buy list. The P-2000 looks cool, but I have had concerns if they are ready for the use a professional photographer will put them through. . .

Microsoft Offers Workaround But No Patch for Critical IE Flaw

PCWorld.com - Microsoft Offers Workaround for IE Flaw: "Microsoft has released software that can be used to mitigate a critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer that was first reported last week."

It Continues:

Microsoft has not yet decided whether it will release a software patch that would fix the underlying problem, a spokesperson for Microsoft's public relations agency says. 'The workaround that they've offered here doesn't fix the underlying vulnerability, but it removes the functionality,' she says.

And Continues:

Danish security company Secunia gave the vulnerability its most serious rating, calling it 'extremely critical.'"

Firefox anyone? How long will it take for everyone to realize that Firefox is bettern, safer, and easier to use?

MSFT -- Netiquette 101 for new netizens

Netiquette 101 for new netizens

"But it's important for all new Internet citizens, also called netizens, to remember that there are other surfers out there. And, like real surfing or any other public activity, there are implied rules of behavior or etiquette to follow. Failing to grasp the netizen ropes could result in more than just missed opportunities—saying the wrong thing at the wrong time could provoke harassment or other problems."

I don't have time to read the entire article, but I do wonder if the "bad" list includes spamming people about the EWBU (Evil, Wrong, Bad, Ugly) of Linux like Billy G. and Stevie B. used to do? Or maybe it is the normal Microsoft: "do what we tell you to, not what we do. . ."

Miracle in Redmond! Tablet PC memory bug fixed | The Register

Miracle in Redmond! Tablet PC memory bug fixed!

I wrote about this here.

Fix installed today; lets hope it works!

EDS' Next Big Thing Blog: EDS Blogging Guidelines | eds.com

EDS Blogging Guidelines:

1. We will tell the truth.
2. We will review all comments for content before they are posted.
3. We will try to respond to comments as fast as possible.
4. We will link to all of our online resources directly.
5. We will respect your comments and disagree with them where appropriate."

A good list!

Internet Research Toolbox

Now that I use the Internet heavily for research for both of my jobs, I am also seeking the nirvana of the perfect set tools to accomplish my needs. Here is what I currently use:

o Firefox browser with multiple tabs. In fact, rather than a homepage, I use a group of tabs. I also have bookmark bar java applets installed for “Blog this to Blogger”, “Pop-up post to del.icio.us”, “Sub with Bloglines”, and “Technorati This” (show who else subscribes to this page).

o Technorati defined searches with RSS feeds.

o Google Alerts sent to Gmail account.

o Bloglines to track blogs and RSS feeds. Items are broken down into multiple folders by job and/or project. All Technorati RSS feeds are reviewed via Bloglines.

o I have a couple of blogs from free blog services that are not publicly published. I use them for notes, links, thoughts, list, and other data for later review.

o Backpack with pages for projects that I am working on. Again, I use for notes, links, thoughts, lists, and other data for later review.

o Del.icio.us to track links to web pages for further review.

I just started examining Feedster and Blogpulse to see how they integrate into my workflow.

I am always open to suggestions on how to make my toolbox better! Any comments?

Stop blaming Mom, start using "Tippie"!

Wonderland: Call to arms: "Now I'm not normally one to complain (hey, stop laughing), but I really have to say this. Can we please stop using 'my mom' or its variations for describing the ultimate in technophobic newbie user?

Technologically Illiterate Inexperienced Person, please, many of whom will be young, poor, or just scared. A tippie. Or suggestions welcome!"

This was the oldest reference I could find, although I am not sure this is the origin. That said, I have started using "Tippie" in conversation. :)

Entering a dark age of innovation?

New Scientist Breaking News : "far from being in technological nirvana, we are fast approaching a new dark age. That, at least, is the conclusion of Jonathan Huebner, a physicist working at the Pentagon's Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California. He says the rate of technological innovation reached a peak a century ago and has been declining ever since. And like the lookout on the Titanic who spotted the fateful iceberg, Huebner sees the end of innovation looming dead ahead. His study will be published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change."

Interesting premise. The article does a good job of discussing both Huebner's thesis as well as some critics. I am withholding judgement until I read the book, although history has taught us that these pragmatic views (Malthusians) have usually been wrong.

EWBU

". . .what I call EWBU: evil, wrong, bad and ugly."

Craig Burton

EWBU -- I love it. Another acronym to drive my wife crazier!!!!!

Exhibit opening – Landscapes of Iceland

I recently went to an exhibit opening at the Spirit Room in Fargo, ND that featured three artists on the landscapes of Iceland. It was part of the Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival. The main gallery featured exhibits by Wayne Gudmundson and Gudmundur Ingolfsson. Gudmundson featured black and white photographs of the area around the volcano Askja, whose explosion in 1875 precipitated immigration from Iceland to this part of the country. Ingolfsson displayed color prints.

The third artist was John Welsh. Welsh has a background in photojournalism, and his shots show a photojournalistic rather than a classic landscape approach. He exhibited in the “back gallery” a collection of color shots that were originally shot digitally (Nikon D1x) and cropped to a panoramic aspect. Welsh explained that he was limited on time for shooting so he could not wait for the perfect light. Iceland is far enough north that “classic landscape lighting” is frequently unavailable. Welsh compensates by using his photojournalist eye to break the “landscape rules” and the results are some very interesting photographs. Very few of Welsh's scenes include any view of the sky. generally, when the sky is included; the photographer is tempted to try to make it look better via darkroom or photoshop techniques. Frequently, this can result in a sky that looks “plastic” and distracts from the overall effect. Welsh avoids this by removing the sky from the frame when the light does not enhance the vision he is trying to communicate. His panoramic crop gives a consistent view of his shots with a range of color that is sometimes lacking from other's Iceland landscapes. Iceland is known for its black volcanic soil; Welsh also finds a range of browns and greens that bring a life to his landscapes that others sometimes lack.

Welsh is constantly breaking the rules; in two shots, there is a canyon with a stream. He frames the shot with the canyon running top to bottom so that when it is cropped into a panoramic format, the water only takes up a small part of the screen with the wide rims of the small canyon dominating the frame. It is a uncommon view that catches the eye and draws you into the frame.

Welsh also has a shot with a single green plant centered in the bottom of the frame. The plant is the only color variation in a red-brown rock field that was the former bottom of a lake that had been drained by volcanic activity. The eye is drawn to that speck of color and then, as one studies the frame more, the smooth rounded rocks of the brown lake bottom take shape in an intriguing pattern.

Welsh also had a shot of a wet blacktop road. Some viewers at the opening asked if he had enhanced it in photoshop. “No” was Welsh's response. He captured it when wet, and offset the deep and sparkling black with a rich brown palate and as much green as he could find to create a landscape that served its purpose. It caught everyone's attention and engaged them in a discussion of what Iceland is like.

John Welsh's main web page

Welsh's Iceland--another take web site

Sleep Study III

It has now been three weeks since my sleep study and over 2 weeks since I got my CPAP. Here are a few notes:

o I have had zero problems sleeping with the CPAP. I have used it for every night minute of sleep since I got it and have had zero problem adjusting. I have a full face mask rather than just one that fits over my nose due to my sinus problems and I was concerned that I would have trouble with the mask. No problems! I have adjusted to the mask and hose and I don't even notice it.

o Breathing through my nose. I used to breathe through my mouth when I slept due to frequent stuffed nose and sinus problems. The CPAP has helped me keep my sinus open and breath through my nose. I used to wake with a dry mouth and lots of sinus snot; first two weeks have been much better!

o I have not woken with a headache since I started the CPAP.

o I had a posting here that discussed one of the problems with sleep deprivation is that you don't know how tired you really are. Well, it seems in my case that one of the symptoms during recovery of sleep deprivation is your body starts telling you how tired you were. I have been getting good sleep, but my body is letting me know it still needs some catching up. I am hoping that I get caught up soon, and will discuss with my doctor next week.

o Alertness, concentration, and memory has improved.

I also had a discussion with some family members yesterday about it. The short answer is, I refused to consider undergoing testing for years. I regret it deeply. I was concerned about how the study would go, that I would not be able to wear the CPAP, that it was a lot of fuss for something that wouldn't really help me, etc. I was wrong. My first two weeks on the CPAP tell me this can be a major life changing (improving) event and I am kicking myself for delaying for so long.

Using web tools in a research project

I am doing research for a large project right now for my photo company. Usually, I would have done this with printouts and notebooks. I am trying to do the majority of this project on the web.

o Technorati – I have built a set of watchlists so I can track blogsphere postings.

o Bloglines – I am using bloglines to track the RSS feeds from Technorati and also specific blogs that I identify and need to track.

o Del.icio.us – Again, tracking links to specific sites.

o Backpack – created a page for the project and I am tracking links, clips, notes and to-do's for the project.


Advantages

o Access the information from any computer (desktop, laptop).

o Share information like the backpack page with others for review or assistance.


Concerns

o Data security – Both external access and also data loss. I have concerns that one of the companies will suffer an event or go out of business and my data will be lost, damaged, or compromised.

o Unavailable offline.


I am still unable to give up notebooks completely, and I just added a Moleskine Large Reporter to my resources for the project. But I am going to continue my commitment to do most of the research with web tools.

Shooting Baseball

I shot baseball twice last week:

o Mark J. Terrell (AP) told me last year that he never shoots the batter unless the batter is breaking a record or something significant like that. At the time, I was probably not listening. Now I am a believer. Tuesday night, I did not shoot a single shot of a batter; last night I had two shots of a batter unable to get down the bunt that would have moved the tying run to second in the bottom of the last inning. I am shooting less, getting better pictures and having more fun, especially at editing time. I have a folder of bat on ball shots; it really is not worth much these days. Now I am getting good shots of fielding, tags at bases, etc.

o I let a co-worker's son shoot with me last night. He is a high school student who had served as one of my assistants during the Fargo Marathon. Last night I turned him loose with a monopod, a Canon D60, and a 300mm f4IS. For a first time shooting, he did a good job. He had your normal framing issues and also had trouble getting the D60 autofocus to work and track. But his exposure was overall good (challenging here as the shadows constantly move across the infield). He was thinking about the shots he wanted, but had technical problems getting them consistently. But the technical problems can be overcome with practice and I think he has good potential.

Stress

I have been in my current position for over 15 years. During that period, I used to fool myself by saying: “If we can only get project XXX done, then things will slow down to normal. . .” The fact is, “normal” is really a period of high stress; there will never be a slow down. When “XXX” is done, “YYY” will need attention. My way of looking at things was wrong, but not uncommon. A friend asked me the other night how work was going; he said “Still high stress or has it slowed down.”

The fact is, we need to face the fact that high stress and long to do lists are, by definition, the de facto job description of a technology job in a growing and competitive industry. In the information age, the speed at which things change will only grow.

I am reading and listening to The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. One of the things that is resonating strongly is their discussion of stress and their claim that stress is necessary and can be good. The book heavily uses the athlete/exercise model. I will use stretching here to explain their point. For muscle growth, you have to stress the muscle (stretch). But for healthy muscle growth, the workout regimen must intersperse periods of stress with periods of resting and recovery. Constant stress tears and damages the muscle. But regular periods of stress and rest promote growth. Extended periods without stress cause atrophy.

We need to develop a view of our work life that seeks stress, but also provides us time to recharge our batteries and renew to reach and perform at the highest level.

This is and interesting book and I look forward to seeing the effect as I introduce it into my operations which is already benefiting from GTD .

Review: Writer’s Cafe

A Million Monkeys Typing has a review of a tool to organize writers:

"Writer’s Café is essentially a suite of writer’s tools. The emphasis is not on word processing –there are too many of those out there already, including the free OpenOffice.org Writer– but rather on the development of ideas and the organisation of material. StoryLines is their equivalent of the index-card-shuffle, and you can create several streams, one for each plot line. You can create detailed content for each card and even add annotations and an image, then export the whole lot to an external file as a report suitable as the basis of a first draft (it even supports OpenOffice.org format)."

Dude, Your getting a Mac!!!

Great Column that you won't want to miss! Very Funny!

Dude, you're getting a Mac!:

"Dell wants no part of this, choosing instead to cleave only unto Intel, and by gum, to stick to the idea even though competitors and their customers have proved the folly of it. Standing out like a Southern belle in a biker bar must make Dell a little squirmy."