Rothacker Reviews

Oh, Say Can You See...

Another Starship Cruiser Mission.

Dave's Log: Cyberdate 12.3.2006

Emma detects a smoke alarm in the lounge outside of the library.  She deploys Bob to check it out.  Approaching the area Bob smells strawberry incense.  No fire.  A small group of twenty-somethings are gathered around a table. 

"Bob! Dude, we're checking out some ancient historee here man.  What do you know about Woodstock bro?"

Bob sees Jeremy's head pointed toward him, but cannot hear over the music of Creedence Clearwater.

"Don't go around tonight.  Well its bound to take your life.  There's a bad moon on the rise."

"Thought you guys were supposed to be doing research on career enhancement?"

"Awe, we needed a break Uncle Bob."  Sarah put down her air guitar and continued, "Here's as far as we got."

Harry Joiner runs Marketing Headhunter.  His blog is all business as he provides information for both clients and job candidates.  We found him asking this cool question to clients:

If your company's brand were a person, how would you describe them to a friend?

Harry offers up this groovy link from his blogroll: Who Links to Harry?

William Arruda  specializes in the power of personal branding and its use to enhance your career and business.  William says that the business tools you use say something about you.  Your laptop for instance, can either add or detract from your personal brand.  Neat.  Let your laptop be a megaphone for your brand.

Although the Career Journal and the Job Hunters Bible are not blogs, these sites contain so much information that by the time we get through them we could be helping our grandchildren with their careers.

Canned Heat beamed in the background - "All this fussing and fighting man you know I sure can't stay. Now baby pack your leaving trunk, you know we've got to get away..."

Johnny lowered the volume and looked to Bob.  "Hey man, you know how we're collecting this stuff so you guys up on the flight deck can RadioBack coordinates for folks to follow us out here on the fringes?  Well we were wondering, do you think we should be sending back lesser chunks of info?  I mean we know these cats are busy, maybe they don't have the time to read a post loaded with too much intel and links.  Ya think?"

Walking away, Bob began to ponder Johnny's point when he heard the noise of an electronic wail.  He froze thinking; Emma should be all over this.  Coherence slowly embodied the noise...followed by passion and infused with soul.  Huh?  Bob thought he recognized a familiar tone or tune.  And then, goose bumps overtook his body.  That was the Star Spangled Banner.  That was Jimi Hendrix.

A Sense of Place

Another Starship Cruiser mission.

Dave's Log: Cyberdate 11.19.2006

A few years ago we'd stopped at the planet Leeds to repair the Starship's main support system, a powerful computer capable of cognitive intelligence.  We met a girl named Emma that day who forever altered our perceptions of beauty, compassion, heart, soul, love, humor and intellect.  Technicians transplanted cells donated from Emma, into our computer.  That fusion between Emma's DNA and our electronics created a brand new support system.  We call her Emma.

Initial coordinates for today's mission have been downloaded and Live at Leeds is playing throughout Emma's audio network.  "People try to put us down..." bellows Roger Daltrey as the Starship approaches Workit, a small satellite of Steelcase.  Mark Greiner meets us at the spaceport.  Mark is a Senior VP who says his company's passion is to create great work environments.  He recently visited Asia and was impressed by the level of importance people place on their culture.  Mark asks, "how does culture effect work process, and can ancestral cultures be seamlessly braided into the American corporate culture? 

A sense of place permeates ones conscious.  It melds from the land, from the history, from the environment, from the culture, from the people and the surroundings.  Art, design and architecture weave throughout to support an awe and wonder.  A short ride to the world of Interactive Architecture as the fellows sing, "I don't want to cause no fuss (Too much, Magic Bus)
But can I buy your Magic Bus?" Ruairi Glynn walks us about a visual feast of kinetic sculptures, performative architectures and interactive installations...all with the ability to instill a sense of place.

"Substitute you for my mum, At least I'll get my washing done..."  Emma fusses with the volume but our attention is on Jill Fehrenbacher.  Jill created Inhabitat, a vehicle to document innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future.  One could see how style might win over substance in design.  This would seemingly deteriorate a sense of place.  Jill and her crew strive to balance style and substance while keeping the user, the experience, the social context and the impact of an object on the surrounding environment at the forefront of their design intentions.  Managing editor, Sarah Rich, has edited an interesting piece of work, World Changing: A user's guide for the 21st Century.  We should pick up a copy for the trip to Brooklyn, New York and Treehugger.

Treehugger is a web magazine that cares.  Cares about sustainability and the environment while looking for solutions, constructive developments and positive initiatives.  There are a ton of interesting topics listed on a pull down box under categories.  "People try to put us d-down (talkin bout my generation) Just because we get around (talkin bout my generation)"  As Roger sings, we can't help but think Treehugger guides us in the right direction to enhance our sense of place.

While we visit with these interesting people, Emma amoeba-itizes the culture and sense of place of each location into her knowledge banks.  Occasionally she'll conduct conversations with buildings, cars, desks and pets.  It is best at these times to leave her alone and let her do her own thing.

Instead of specific coordinates, Emma lets the navigator choose random.  We land in Canada at Bruce Mau Design.  "Every time I call my Baby, try to get a date, my Boss says No dice, Son,you gotta work late, Sometimes I wonder what I'm a gonna do, but there ain't no cure for the Summertime Blues."  Bruce Mau Design publishes an in-progress manifesto.  It tells us about the firm's culture, vision and direction.  Point number forty stands out - Avoid fields. Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. They are often understandable efforts to order what are manifold, complex, evolutionary processes. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.

The Starship is in need of wide open space and to vaporize fences.  Emma delights as she lets the engines scream.  The greater the distance, and the faster she flies from status quo, the greater potential of growth we realize.

We set down on the Red planet.  Hilary Cottam leads an ambitious team with the goal of confronting complex social and economic problems.  A paper titled Transformation Design explains how design is used to address these problems.  Emma raises her computer bank eyebrows when she hears the six characteristics of Transformational Design:

• Defining and Redefining the brief
• Collaborating between disciplines
• Employing participatory design techniques
• Building capacity, not dependency
• Designing beyond traditional solutions
• Creating fundamental change

She thinks, "have some of these not already existed deep within our knowledge banks?"  "Quivers down my backbone, I got the shakes in the knee bones, Shivers down my thigh bones, Like I'm Shakin' all over."  Was that Emma or Roger??

I've got the quivers down my backbone!  What a glorious mission today!  Folks out on the edge, caring for and improving our workplace and overall environment.  It is because of people like this that our ancestors will one day be jolted by a sense of place.

Peace. Out.

The Starship Cruiser

The original idea that I had for Six Degrees of Blogging was to voyage beyond those with whom I am familiar.  Working from blogrolls, I would visit someone and if I found them interesting I'd include that person in the adventure.  The problem was I'd travel to four or five folks and run into sites without blogrolls.  Backtracking was too time consuming. 

To me, life is a journey, a voyage, a yellow brick road.  And to travel, one needs a vehicle.  I have decided to use The Starship Cruiser for all future adventures.

Starship Cruiser Mission - To explore and discover the universe of different; to RadioBack the coordinates of those who are adding value to the lives of others by means of voice and heart; and who refuse to deviate one degree from being human and not digress into the monolithic overtones of corporate rhetoric.

Along with two other gents, I built the Starship Cruiser back in the late nineties for a community based Web site of ours.  This was my description of her then and the one I will continue to use:

She travels at speeds beyond human comprehension. Her size fluctuates according to occupants. Her structure is metamorphic, ever-changing as it incorporates the new technology and business ideas of those on board. The Starship Cruiser is a vehicle built to vaporize boundaries and limitations. She will take us to the very brink of our imaginations. And with but a glimpse of visions to be, she engages the afterburners…………….blasting us forward, screaming to shatter the barriers of conventional thinking and complacency. How can a ship accomplish such noble tasks you ask? Because her fuel is the collective passion of those on board. The passion to learn, share knowledge, information and ideas. Through this collaborative effort she reaches destinations impossible for one human being or……………..alien.

I am going to transition away from the title Six Degrees of Blogging to something I haven't quite been able to put my laser on, but I know it's something more*.  And instead of the blogroll thing I am going to program serendipity into the Starship's computer banks.  Program serendipity.  Doesn't the sound of that want to make your left and right brain come together?...like two opposite sides of a magnet?

A driving force behind the Starship Cruiser can be found in the words of Albert Einstein: "It is impossible to solve significant problems using the same level of knowledge that created them."  I hope you join us in future missions here and relish in the diversity of our crew.

In need of help:  I need a really radical, beasty-looking graphic that we can use here for the Starship. Also, I will need to collect the links of folks we visit in a place here for easy access.  Any ideas?

*I wrote this post when transitioning from my old blog Wiz Speak to Rothacker Reviews.  I feel I'm getting one step closer to "something more."  By the way, if you haven't picked up a copy of Tom Ehrenfeld's book The Startup Garden, do so right away!!  Tom is an awesome writer with an awesome message!

Customer Service

Another Six Degrees of Blogging Adventure...

On our last adventure I left Christine Kane talking to Dorothy and Toto began to follow me down the Road.  Christine uses the time she found her dog to explain experiencing creativity.  For me, this is a perfect example of trying to find my place in the universe.  So far the dog hasn't come home, but I feel one is following me.  I even named it, RadioBack.

Starting today, our primary method of travel for Six Degrees will be the Starship Cruiser.  The speed in which she vaporizes the boundaries of status-quo and flirts about the fringes of the universe is beyond human comprehension.  The music piped on board originates at The Loft.

A short time in hyper-drive places the Starship outside our solar system and in the beautiful city of Des Moines, Iowa.  (Thanks to Starbucker for these coordinates)  Thea Gilmore is just finishing "When I'm Gone" as Tom Vander Well of QAQNA greets us at the Space Port.  Tom doesn't just instruct when writing about customer service, a very dear topic of mine, he orchestrates.  Before leaving, Tom takes us ten miles past the city's edge to a Mail Pouch barn.  Inside we find this absolute beauty.  Tom directs us to the West and CustomersAreAlways.

Dar Williams barely lays down "Echoes" before California re-entry.  Maria Palma hands us an aromatic Breakfast Blend as we de-board.  Maria injects heart and soul into positive customer service experiences.  Thanks so much for your hospitality Maria!  She says, "if you enjoy my stories you'll be delighted with Mary's.

The Starship elevates and rockets toward New Mexico and Mary Schmidt.  Lindsey Buckingham picks a beautiful guitar on "Down on the Rodeo."  The very first impression that leaves an everlasting one with us about Mary is that she's a professional - her writing projects this most clearly.  While showing us around Albuquerque, Mary points toward Service Stars & Snafus.  We found this inspiring tidbit there.  Mary talks about sound, positive business practices, but she didn't hesitate to tell us about something Broken.

Screaming eastward across the U.S., Gold Frapp plays "Beautiful."  Ordinarily we wouldn't be visiting someone line Mark because he has no blogroll.  But Mark is one of those cats out here doing good things.  His work, This is Broken, is a most constructive vehicle that businesses and folks should pay attention to.  Here's what else Mark is up to.  I recommend Uncle Mark's Gift Guide.  We contact Mary from New York and ask, "who else has passion out here?"  "Go Down Under guys."

Sweet!  We can crank up the Starship.  We might be able to get two songs in before arriving in Adelaide, Australia.  Evanescence jams on "You" as we revel in our good fortune in meeting really good people today.  Lee Hopkins greets us with most south of the equator warmth.  Lee writes about blogging, communications and tools to help your personal growth.  We can't help but to notice the sincerity and human voice that he weaves into his work.  Lee says, "you guys look pretty tired, but try stopping in Winter Haven, Florida, before taking Route 4 back to Tampa."

Ben Lee closes out our trip today with "Catch My Disease."  The Starship lands in one of the many lakes surrounding Winter Haven and we transport to shore.  Josh Hallett welcomes us.  Josh is a true Internet and Social Media consultant.  I am veering off course just a tad here because I am familiar with Josh.  The intent though, is to highlight Josh's vast experience on blogging - click on his blogging category and settle in for a fresh, educational adventure.  Josh leaves us with a  post on our topic of customer service today.

Once home, I see Rosemary attacking her computer.  She's been averaging over 3,000 words a day for the last month on a book and it reminded me of a couple of posts on customer service that she wrote for me when she was still a bank manager.  Mr. Fiorucci's House and Roger.  Be advised, these stories are touching.  Besides being one of the best managers I've ever seen, her customer service skills were almost better!

Man!  What a fantastic day!  Thanks for riding along in the Starship. 

 

The Yellow Brick Road

....Another Six Degrees of Blogging Adventure.

Today's journey will be magical, mystical and liberating.  First, I need to instill a thought about our preferred method of travel and then quickly instill a more dominant one.

Do you remember how Dorothy returned to Kansas?  Ok, hold that thought.  Because I can no more wear women's apparel than drink a glass of battery acid, we must overlay the visual of soft, worn and comfortable red leather boots onto the screen.  Whew!  I feel much better.

Other than early Clint Eastwood movies, no movie has touched my heart over the years more than The Wizard of Oz.  It has provided so many personal metaphors and has been such a source of inspiration that, "Oz is the Yellow Brick Road," became the mantra for the journey of my life.  So, come along with Toto, Dorothy and I and lets explore the Yellow Brick Road.

Man on the Silver Mountain by Rainbow is playing on our iPod as we click our boot heels three times. There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Fog lifts from the yellow cobblestone and a gentleman appears.  "Welcome to the Nest!" Tony Clark greets us with warm enthusiasm.  He then asks, "Why Settle for Just One Path?"  This question and the ensuing conversation captures my attention and holds me spellbound.  Toto's ears perk.  I thought I was the only person in the world who could not zero in on a clear understanding of passion and work!!  Toto nods.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Ronnie James Dio belts out Catch The Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow... on the iPod as Chris Cree talks about work and passion.  "I’ve been doing quite a bit of introspection these days. It’s not that I’m narcissistic or anything. I just keep hearing folks say over and over again that you will be most successful career wise if you work where your passion is."  Yep brother, I hear that too!  Chris mentions that we should check out another Chris.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

A bit further down the road and we meet Chris Johnston from Chris's Blog.  Chris relays the question, "Is this job for the money or does it give them fulfillment in life?" Chris is actually referring to Noah  Kagan's post at Okdork.com, The Paycheck vs. The Life.   The discussion that follows this post is quite lively.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

..." Danger, danger the Queen's about to kill
There's a stranger, stranger and life about to spill..."  more iPod, more Rainbow, more Yellow Brick Road.  ..."Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitartus Committiartum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby...change directions."  We can do that in cyberspace, really, we can.  I can't seem to continue via links with the passion/work discussion so I throw out a few sandbags and change course.  Chris talks about Adriana so Dorothy takes hold of my elbow and we stroll down the Road to Orlando and I Heart Tech.  Adriana swims in a river of which I have no connection with.  That's good.  Travel is part of her work and she writes a post here on Travel Tips and the Internet.  Adriana gazes down at Toto and then back at us, "you guys need to see Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools."  I'm thinking that Dorothy has seen it all but she humors me.  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

Ritchie B jams on Cold Hearted Woman as we read Kevin's post - Consensus Web Filters.  Kevin, who was the founding executive editor of Wired has a very interesting site and it is well worth spending some time exploring.  The connection to Wired magazine strikes a chord of ironee today.  I just started reading Chris Anderson's The Long Tail this morning.  Chris is the editor in chief of Wired.  Toto notices my expression and barks, "you're not in Kansas anymore David."  There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home.

The three of us swirl round in circles through cyberspace.  Cows, barns and flying monkeys pass us by.  (Didn't those flying monkeys creep you out?)  The iPod is gone but music begins to fill the cloudscape.  Jimi Hendrix picks a few strings as Judy Garland eases into Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  Dorothy smiles.  Tota barks.  I cry.  Judy and Jimi are beautiful man.  My soul lifts as we descend.  We are back on The Yellow Brick Road, right where it intersects with Rt. 66.  Christine Kane stands there holding her guitar.  She looks at Dorothy eyes wide open.  They start to talk.  I start to walk down the Road.  Toto follows me.

**********************************************************************************

I'm not sure if I've ever experienced a true epiphany.  I've come to think of the potential of one as a butterfly...deft, darting and elusive...maybe even like a shy dog.  I am going out on a limb here, but I'm going to name that dog.  RadioBack.....

Jimi...Judy?

"Somewhere over the rainbow
  Way up high,
  There's a land that I heard of
  Once in a lullaby.  

Somewhere over the rainbow
  Skies are blue,
  And the dreams that you dare to dream
  Really do come true.

 

Someday I'll wish upon a star

  And wake up where the clouds are far
  Behind me.
  Where troubles melt like lemon drops
  Away above the chimney tops
  That's where you'll find me.

 

Somewhere over the rainbow
  Bluebirds fly.
  Birds fly over the rainbow.
  Why then, oh why can't I?

 

If happy little bluebirds fly
  Beyond the rainbow
  Why, oh why can't I?"

Innovation Byways

It's time for another Six Degrees of Blogging Adventure...

What would you do if you hit the lotto?  Doesn't the sound of this question just lighten your spirit?  Rosemary and I would buy the most laid out motorcoach and cruise the United States in search of people and story.  The motorcoach is my preferred method of transportation today.

My first stop is Milan, Italy, to meet with Daniel Scocco, innovative designer of Innovation Zen.  Daniel was born in Brazil and has been schooled in Sao Paulo , Santiago del Chile and Milan, Italy.  Daniel provides powerful, interesting and in depth insight into the business world of innovation.  One post that attracts my attention is The Enemy is the Mindset.  Daniel explores how inhibiting conventional thinking can be.  It's time to move on and Daniel says, "Recomiendo que visites Broken Bulbs Innovation." 

My magic bus pulls into dock at Broken Bulbs: Innovation.  Gordon Graham, originally from Scotland and now living in Taiwan, has created a most thought-provoking site.  Gordon's defintion of innovation is: "the profitable implementation of ideas."  I found his post, Aesthetic Innovation interesting.  It is listed under August 28 in the archives.  He talks about the book The Substance of Style by Virginia Postrel and provides a link to Asus, a notebook manufacturer that integrates leather into its products.  Gordon mentions that I might want to stop over Roger's place.

Roger von Oech is master architect of Creative Think and author of many cool products and books on creativity and innovation.  I have Expect the Unexpected and A Whack on the Side of the Head - two very good books.  Check out Roger's post, Innovation in Industry 1981.  He put on a business conference and lists some of the speakers here.  David Armano commenting on this post:  "This kind of post is one of the reasons I was so excited to hear that you were blogging. You have so much experience to draw from and a blog is a great way to share this."  Most succinctly put!  By means of random Insight, Roger helps me to choose a little greenery.

I am pulling into the fine state of Alabama and up to Mack Collier's The Viral Garden.  I ordinarily do not hang out at popular sites like Mack's.  The first post that I read hooked me though.  Know why?  Cause Mack's intent at this post came across as being real human to me.  And that just doesn't suck at all.  Come to think of it, I've noticed Roger von Oech out here in cyberspace and I am starting to feel the same way about him.  I don't know, maybe I got my head screwed on wrong - not wanting to be associated with the in-crowd.  Although I am much more comfortable this way, I hate to miss out on all the good stuff like what Mack has growing in his Garden.  Mack says it's time for a boat ride.

So I load the motorcoach up on a steamer and set sail for the beautiful land down under, Australia.  I see Gavin Heaton on the front porch of his Sydney home waving to me.  After kindly asking Gavin to holster his weapon, I sit down for a friendly chat.  A Servant of Chaos bombards one's senses!  See if you can't find the Burma Shave example...very provocative.  Gavin suggests another voyage by ship.

I 'm thinking the motorcoach has logged more miles at sea than by road - but what a great adventure and great people too!  The final leg today lands us at Adliterate in London, England.  A stroll down the cobblestone path reveals radical and meaningful words supporting the architectural thought of Richard Huntington.  That Richard admires The Cluetrain Manifesto allowed me to open his door and peek around a bit more.  I found this exquisite jewel about aphorisms.  Richard links out to Mohammed Iqbal at MisEntropy.  Mohammed also writes about aphorisms and provides a link to a white paper he has written on intranets.  Richard's writing is distinct and most discernibly excellent!

I have enjoyed a most spectacular day on the Innovation Byways of cyberspace.  Thanks for coming along!

Six Degrees: October 2, 2006

Today's visit begins at Joy Des Jardins' place Joy of Six .  Before proceeding, I want to mention the evolution of Joy's writing...it just gets better and better!  My goal is to link from Joy's site to someone I am not familiar with.  And then link from their site until I reach six degrees of separation.  Criteria for the journey are:

• The site must contain a blogroll
• I must find the site interesting
• I cannot link to a familiar name

...I've already broken my rules.  I'll splain later.

Today's mode of transportation is powered by four-wheel drive.  I'm not as much concerned about fuel as I am its byproducts. 

Mr. Jim and I land in Japan.  We are quickly out of the city and into the country.  We veer from a dirt road, flanked by mountains, onto a narrow path.  The path leads up the mountain side to Robert Brady's home, PureLandMountain .  The breathtaking views match Robert's descriptive writings.  After sharing a cup of green tea with Robert, Mr. Jim and I are back down the mountain heading towards the Whiskey River .

We notice that Whiskey River's propietor is not in, but the door to the wooden building along the river is open.  Mr. Jim stays outside.  Once inside, I am reminded of a saloon, except there is no bar.  The ceiling is twenty feet high and eight foot walls without doors maze the room.  The most beautiful words have been framed and hang on the walls.  This one caught my heart.  Walking out, I notice a note on the inside of the front door:  "If you've felt inspired here, please visit my friend Kara ."

This part of the journey is tough - for Mr. Jim.  Kara you see, flies a metallic spaceship.  Her handle is Spacetramp .  I believe that I sense a kindred spirit to push the boundaries in search of discovery in Kara.  Poetry blended with information on space widens one's awareness.  Kara guides Mr. Jim and I to Dina's place Ponderings .  Mr. Jim and I decompress for a day and then we're off.

Dina's scrapbook renderings assault one's senses.  Her art journal here is a treasure!  You know, many of us here are into business, management, coaching etc.  It's ok to ease back from the rat race and go into absorb-and-appreciate-creativity mode.  Dina does not have a blogroll and this is where I break my rules.  I believe her stuff is inspiring and I want to include it here in Six Degrees of Blogging.  Mr. Jim and I head back to Kara's.  She says to try the WishJar .

Keri Smith is not only an author, she is an illustrator as well.  The Wish Jar is an amalgam of inspiration and illustration.  It is impossible to not come away with a think-shift from business-as-usual.  Heck, Mr. Jim is wearing a bandanna.  Where'd he get that!?  Nuther rule break - back to Kara's.

The final leg of today's journey lands us at runswithscissors .  How could you not click on this link? A serious, unnamed author pens runswithscissors.  He/she has been journaling since 2001.  If you journal, a stroll through posts here will help to tone your own work.  The photography included in runswithscissors is breathtaking.  It can't help but to crack your skull a bit and let some creativity seep in. 

Thanks for riding along with Mr. Jim and I today!  Time to get the ole boy back to the barn.

Six Degrees of Blogging

Most Excellent Blog Adventure

Today's visit begins at Troy Worman's Orbit Now site.  My goal is to link from Troy's site to someone I am not familiar with.  And then link from their site until I reach six degrees of separation.  Criteria for the journey are:

• The site must contain a blogroll
• I must find the site interesting
• I cannot link to a familiar name

I was surprised to see how many people do not have blogrolls.  I wasn't surprised to see how many people have a Seth Godin link.  Congratulations Troy on your two year blogging anniversary!

By the way, my mode of transportation today is a Schwinn Cruiser Deluxe.  Troy sends me over to
Anna Farmery's place, The Engaging Brand .  What a delightful concept here that Anna paints:  See the Person Not the Roll.  Anna doesn't have a large blogroll but I found a gem with her referral of Heidi Miller's Talk it Up place.  Can you believe how Heidi is designing her promotional material and biz cards?  Guts!

Heidi says, "visit Garr."  Garr Reynolds calls his corner, Presentation Zen .  Garr starts of this post on Learning From the Art of Comics:

"You know my philosophy: Keep reading and keep looking — we just never know where we'll find inspiration and knowledge if we open our eyes and go off the beaten path."

I've kept this thought close to my heart for years! 

Garr tells me about this young woman who helps to liberate people.  Pamela Slim does just that.  As with Heidi, Pamela is enlisting her readers for biz help.  Awesome!  You know, on the way over here, after beating off this guy who wanted me to deliver his newspapers ( I politely refused you know, I'm not into violence), I passed a boat load of businesses run by the connected generation .  They all appear to be operating much like Heidi and Pamela.  Smart women.

No, the final stop on my visit today is not some wild Australian Aborigine.  Although I have often wondered how someone could apply the six degrees of separation and find one of these bush folks.  Pamela says I should absolutely stop by Kristie T's place of biz .  What a great way to end my trip - landing on Kristie's words on gratitude.

Thanks for riding along on the Schwinn with me today! 

Work Cultures

Time to fire up the ride, kick out the jams and go cruising today.  A rumbling muscle car, a little Space Truckin' by Deep Purple and vapor trails in Cyberspace - does it get any better?

By way of magic and technology, I begin the day in Hawaii at Starbucks sipping hot coffee with my friend Rosa Say.  Rosa and I can discourse deep into spirituality, growing up or working at Woolworths, but today she simply tells me to check out a wonderful writer by the name of Verna Wilder .  Rosa knows that I will connect with Verna because she knows Verna admires creative writer-coach Julia Cameron.

Back in the Cutlass, I change the eight track tape to The Best of Bread and a little Baby I'ma Want You.  I roll into Colorado late morning and hook up with Verna.  Spend one minute on Verna's site and you smell the fresh morning flowers of soulful expression...

  "I like the idea of finding the shape of my life and defining it by stepping into it, and as Marilyn says, opening my heart to who I am, which means a lot of letting go of who I thought I might be or who I was trying to be. Who I am is in there already, in my heart. I find that very comforting."

...Verna's love of sculpting words to fit her thoughts is postively neon! 

"Dave, what's any of this got to do with work cultures?"

"Chill.  I've got a half tank of gas and two more tapes.  Lets get back to the Magic Carpet Ride."

Paperback Writer is just finishing up on the Kenwood as I pull into Terry Gold's  office parking lot.  Verna's directions are perfect.  Walking through the front door, something strikes me as unusual.  I think it's this conversation that I am over hearing.  Terry is talking about the office of the future .  His assistant, Angela Watson, injecting her thoughts on what should be in the office of the future:

"As part of my job as your assistant, I typically remind you of your next meeting and often times have to run around the office to locate you. My idea for “the office of the future” is to have a GPS tracking devise on you at all times that would enable me to pull up a map online and find your precise location."

pssssst, this is where the culture part starts surfacing...

The tone in Angela's voice is both serious and mischievous.  Angela's demeanor perks my curiousity.  Remember, she is talking to her boss here.  I picture Terry as an entreprenuer always on the move, a cat with a high metabolic rate.  I sort of fade back, away from their conversation and notice a matchbook lying on the floor.  This seems odd.  I get the feeling not many folks working here smoke.  Inside the cover I notice an address.  Back to the Cutlass.

The car's headers roar to life as the speakers roar The Wizard by Uriah Heep.  The song is barely over as I pull into Angela's place.  If there was any doubt before, this seals the deal.  Terry Gold has created a tremendous work culture!  Or perhaps more correctly, he has let a tremendous work culture evolve. 

As a manager, I have an enourmous amount of respect and admiration for the culture at Terry's company Gold Systems .  This type of work environment can do nothing but enhance a company's product and service!!

Well, it's been a lovely Saturday, thanks for cruising along.  Now, I think I'll go to the park .

Note:  I do not own a muscle car :(