Little pond

Tulip

Blossom

Cherry blossoms

Kick start

New Year's comin'

Organic visitor

Cold lights

Sailing

Transformed

MOHAI

Road to Leavenworth

Advice for My Daughter - Careers

I decided to start keeping track of advice I want to pass onto my daughter. One of the thoughts drilled into my head as a kid was my father telling me over and over, "There ain't nothin' you can't do."

These words have stuck with me through thick and thin. Often, we let internal and external forces create barriers to our potential. We need reassurance that we can do and be more.

My advice? Do what you love for a purpose you love with people you love. The rest will fall into place.



I just finished reading Gladwell's Outliers in which he describes "meaningful work." One of the aspects he discusses is that people will work hard when they see the outcome in what they do - the value. This is true, but if I have the luxury of also doing something that I inherently enjoy (which most people don't, understandably) then this should be striven for as well.

Sometimes, this can be a lifelong journey, or at a minimum take several years to recognize. I feel this is one of my responsibilities as a father. I want to help you discover and realize what you love to do. Not just what you are talented at, but what you really enjoy. I think that's part of the motivation for my dad's repeated encouragement. If you can attain this, you're very far along your journey.

The other ingredients to doing what you love - for people you love for a purpose you love? Some of that takes discovery, risk, and a sense of self-worth. If you strive for these and don't settle, you'll get there and I'll be here to listen and encourage.

Day in Portland

Metro Trip Planner Fail

Just trying to get around Sodo today, so looked to Metro for advice.  What did I get?

That's right, only 4 bucks to go from Sodo to Beacon Hill, then transfer right back to Sodo.  Brilliant!

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

Good article about the cost of multitasking.  Also touches on the importance of taking breaks, something a great friend was stressing to me recently:

The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time - Tony Schwartz - Harvard Business Review

Do you really need a site anymore?

So, here's a serious question that may seem ridiculous:  Does a typical company need a website anymore?

Seriously.  I've been mulling this over for the past few days.  The root of this little question was planted in my mental dirt when I was thinking about registering a domain - again.  I say again, because I have registered several domains, let them expire when the idea loses steam, and then need to re-register (or often times come up with a new domain name) when the idea is resurrected by a new thought or conversation.

I started to think about the different social platforms companies have identities in the comprise their marketing universe: Facebook, Twitter, now Google Plus, and on and on...  It made me wonder, especially with platforms like Google Plus, do I really, truly need a website anymore?  Of course, it depends on your product/service, but for an awful lot of businesses these days, the answer may actually be "nope."

HTC's One S... - HTC One S in black and red - latimes.com

I think I really want this as my next phone:

HTC's One S... - HTC One S in black and red - latimes.com

Brier Dudley's Blog | Kindle gets handwriting recognition from puzzle startup

Reminds me of the ahead-of-its-time writing recognition of my (long, long ago) Apple Newton.  Then came the wacky way of writing on Palm devices:

Redmond startup Puzzazz added some pizzazz to its latest puzzle game for Amazon's Kindle.
The company developed a handwriting recognition system that founder Roy Leban calls the first such system to appear on a Kindle.
Puzzazz's "TouchWrite" technology debuted in "Sudoku Unbound Volume 3," a $2.99 e-book the company began selling today. Instead of using a keyboard on the device, players write the numbers and the game recognizes them.
"This is the sort of technology that makes puzzle e-books and puzzles on digital devices more enjoyable," Leban said.
Puzzazz collected thousands of handwriting samples and analyzed them as it developed the software.
It was tricky to develop the software for a device with limited computation power and memory, but Leban said the app is only about 800 kilobytes.
"The system is designed around those limitations," he said.
So far it works just with touch-enabled versions of the Kindle, and not the Fire.
Leban wouldn't talk about plans to license the software to others, although it's clearly a possibility.
So is this the turning point for the 3-year-old, four-person startup?
"Maybe," Leban said. "It is the most exciting product launch we've had."

Brier Dudley's Blog | Kindle gets handwriting recognition from puzzle startup | Seattle Times Newspaper

Now these are biscuits!

Best batch yet. Not bad for a few minutes on a Saturday afternoon, thank you very much.