Archives
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Using the dialogue manager for 13 hours straight was as addicting as crack...
Nothing like changing your tunes at 90 mph while going through the tunnel on I-90 in the rain... while keeping all my concentration still on driving. How addicting? Almost as addicting as track day at Laguna Seca is for a speed freak and car nut like myself...
Oh, also while in Seattle, I attended the Podcast Hotel, caught up with Chris Pirillo and made a few new friends, including Bre Pettis and Cielito Pascual. Bre and Cielito so graciously helped me film a video of the dialogue manager in Seattle, which will be broadcast on Bre's Blog in about 2 weeks as a Podcast.
What in the world was my car and me doing up in Seattle for a week? Well, a roadtrip to visit friends of course! Oh and speaking of friends, I do believe I owe a thank you to an old friend who tried to set me up two and a half years ago with a group of people in Seattle I happened to finally meet with this time around... -
1835 miles of driving with the dialogue manager under constant use...
So... I finally worked out my vibration issues with the hard drives -- first by switching to laptop hard drives, then by adding some creative engineering:
and special foam and at first things were better than before, but not quite good enough for all the various road conditions out there.
The problem?
The computer needs to be rigidly mounted. Bungee cords weren't enough, and because I was tinkering with things so much, I had removed the wooden panel framing the computer as seen in this pic:
I put that panel back in, and with the computer now firmly held in place, ALL my vibration problems were solved. I tested this on my drive back from Seattle to San Francisco and throughout the Seattle and SF Bay areas as well, and everything worked great! I wonder if this setup would hold up on Laguna Seca... -
VW ads: "Unpimp your Ride"
Gotta say these ads are hilarious! Take a looksee here.
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Happy Valentines Day!
Valentine's Day greeting designed by the wonderful design team at 21 productions!
Speak With Me uses them for graphics and web design. -
Laguna Seca was Fun!
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Just started reading "Naked Conversations" by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel
So I've only just begun to read "Naked Conversations" by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel and already the impact is setting in (yet I'm still getting through chapter 1!).
Authenticity counts. Actually its more than that -- authenticity is essential for any successful business. If you mislead your consumers, the press, or anyone in your chain about your product and its capabilities you're screwed. However, this goes both directions -- if you strive to do your best and create something wonderful -- and then not only do you let the product speak for itself, people around the world start raving about it and before you know it, you product becomes known and a success. Blogging is about that, and it's funny that I've had this blog for years now, and at first I was dabbling in the medium, and slowly the power of the stories hit me, but then just beginning the book, everything that I was acutely aware of with respect to blogging, authenticity, being accessible to your customers -- smacks me in the face as the most important thing you can do for your company.
Everyone has been burned by a product that didn't live up to expectations in the past. Everyone has seen premature press releases from companies claiming they are going to release the next great wonder product well in advance of something actually solidly working. Blogging, and most importantly, direct, honest, conversations with your customers at all levels, from the partners you interact with to the people who may buy the product is very important in producing good products.
And then to transition from a good to great product -- take the risk.