Worn Out

My body feels like it has been through Rally, but all the cool aspects of knowledge transfer, and networking.

OK, one type of networking, but not the Rally kind.

-- Andy

Future Post

Mainly a reminder to myself to blog about why Toyota beat out GM in sales.

Hint: It is not because GM goes by the abreviation of their name instead of General Motors.

My Company is Missing the Train

That would be the clue train.

{interjection} This is the first time since last Tuesday that I have actually felt energetic and not in a bad mood. Those of you who know the details will be able to make the connection {interjection}

I know I am far behind the times. but I am finally catching up. I have been missing the train as well.

The Cluetrain Manifesto is a set of 95 theses (yes, the same number as Martin Luther), on how the Internet is changing how companies communicate with the people they are connected to.

Interestingly enough dome of the new things the organization I work for is now trying to do that I was opposed to seem to be somewhat on track with cluetrain:
#68 The inflated self-important jargon you sling around—in the press, at your conferences—what's that got to do with us?

(Actually I would say that our jargon was not self-important, just jargon, but maybe I am wrong)

Others, not so much:
#64. We want access to your corporate information, to your plans and strategies, your best thinking, your genuine knowledge. We will not settle for the 4-color brochure, for web sites chock-a-block with eye candy but lacking any substance.

#65 We're also the workers who make your companies go. We want to talk to customers directly in our own voices, not in platitudes written into a script.

Some we have always been doing correctly:
#45 Intranets naturally tend to route around boredom. The best are built bottom-up by engaged individuals cooperating to construct something far more valuable: an intranetworked corporate conversation.

and need to keep doing so, in order to avoid:
#44 Companies typically install intranets top-down to distribute HR policies and other corporate information that workers are doing their best to ignore.

Global Warming/Peak Oil: What Are the Best Options?

So there are concerns about Peak Oil (PO) and Global Warming (GW).

But what are the best answers.

On Earth Day, one thing we look at are the "simple" and "not-so-simple" things we can do to make the Earth a better place.

There was a great post on The Oil Drum That looked at suggestions (specific post here).

The suggestions are great, I urge you to read it.

But what are your suggestions?

Some Paint

I did my best to paint around the cabinets. I learned that I am not a painter.


The flash on the camera is impacting the color.


The wall under this cabinet was the hardest to paint. I am not sure why. The paint did not want to stick in one patch.


Any thoughts on the paint color for the wainscoting? I was also thinking of a golden brown type color.

Drink Up!

Over Easter Dinner one person mentioned that a lot of non-profits use the term "Alliance" in their names even if they are not really an alliance.

So I turned to Google to find the true definition of Alliance:

Alliance
1 oz Gin, 1 oz Vermouth, 2 dashed Akvavit
Shake with ice, then strain into rocks glass over ice.

Looks like I should have tuned in to TikiBar instead.

-- Andy

New Insight: People Care?

At a brownbag session at work today I had a new insight. I am very confused and am not sure how to deal with this.

It seems that there really are people out there that care about brand and font type and font color and all that other stuff that other worthless garbage.

OK I knew there was always someone who acted like they cared about it -- the consultants -- they are in it for the money. Your new font type equals money in their pocket. Of course they are going to try and do everything they can to convince you take on a boondoggle like "branding."

And sure I knew there were those who bought into all this junk that the consultants are selling. If no one bought in, then the consulting economy would dry up and wreck havoc on the economy as a whole. And if the consultants didn't have enough money for umbrellas they would just melt the next time they went out in the rain -- what a mess that would be.

But today my world view shifted. It seemed that there were people who really do care about this stuff.

I don't get it. How can this stuff seem important?

OK. I will admit that the time I missed an important email because someone thought my domain name had a capital I instead of a lower case l, made me an even stronger supporter for serif fonts. But how much control do I have over that? If your email or RSS reader only displays in san serif fonts, I have no control over how you see my email address. And that is how the web is evolving - we have less control over how you see the data.

I just don't get it.

P.S. What I do get is Hugh MacLeod's comment on branding. To paraphrase:
If you want to have a cool brand, do cool stuff.

The original quote is not quite suitable for my organization as we don't really build.

Intel Installed

I think I need Intel to stop by if I even need to pull my refrigerator out or back in.

Sorry no photos today. You will just have to take my word that my fridge has an incredibly tight fit into it's spot. Intel seems to be the experts with working in the scale of nanometers, so I trust that they would be able to assist me.

-- Andy

Oil Crisis: Closer than we think?

It has been a while since I have written about this sort of thing. I have spent too much time writing about my kitchen.

In his latest blog post James Howard Kunstler included this:
the crashing of Mexico's Cantarell oil field (60 percent of Mexico's production) means that inside of five years the US will receive no more imports from what has been its third leading source.

While this is shocking news for the US, it is much worse for Mexico. According to another source on the Mexican economy:
oil provides nearly 40 percent of the government's revenues

Since oil exports play such a critical role in the Mexican economy, loss of this source of revenue will be devastating.

Add to that the the price of corn, a staple of the Mexican diet, is already rising dramatically as we try to turn corn into fuel for cars instead of fuel for humans.

I suspect this will make immigration issues even worse as many more Mexicans will be desperate to cross the border. But without oil in our relationship with Mexico there will probably be less in the US government willing to work on immigration issues, and more who are in favor of "securing the border". But of course how does one secure the border if one can not fuel up ones border patrol car or plane?

Danger ahead.

Pick a Color

A quick blog update as I await the delivery of my oven and dishwasher.


As you can see the rest of the cabinets are up. And the faucet has been installed.

Below are seven paint samples in three different light settings. Let me know which ones you like. Thanks!