Rohdesign Weblog: Observations

Here you'll find all posts file under the Observations category.

January 31, 2010

A Twitter Vacation

There comes a time when what's brewing under the surface breaks through. For me the breakthrough is the need for a little Twitter Vacation.

I love Twitter, the friends I have on Twitter and how connected I am through it, with people in Milwaukee and around the world.

Now, I'm not going to leave Twitter forever. Rather, this will be a 3 week experiment off of the service to see how being Twitter-free effects me.

Why the Vacation?
I've sensed lately that I need to take a step back. I've caught myself constantly checking my Twitter mentions, working very hard to tweet something of value and scanning my live feed in Tweetie for something, anything interesting to read.

While that's typical Twitter user behavior, I've felt this incessant attraction to scanning random tweets and re8-2010plies at all times to be distracting my focus from more important things in my life right now.

As you may know, we've added a baby girl to the family, which is wonderful and understandably, quite time consuming.

Couple our 3 month old baby girl with a stack of personal projects and plans to be made for SXSW Interactive in March -- it all adds up to a pile of important things I must focus on.

So, as an experiment, as of February 1, 2010, I'll be leaving my Twitter feeds sit idle while I catch up on everything else in my life.

I'll come back in 3 weeks, on February 22nd and report my findings here.

Week 1 Update (Feb 8, 2010) — My first week of Twitter vacation has been an interesting experience. On more than one occasion I've wanted to share an idea or a photo, with Tweetie on the iPhone, only to stop myself.

I've missed reading tweets from friends I follow. After reading Michael Lopp's excellent post, A Story Culture, I'm understanding how much I enjoy weaving stories together from 140 character snippets of information. In some ways it's like stitching stories together while listening to the radio.

I have also noticed an increase in productivity. I'd expected this might happen however. Those little distractions add up over time, so whatever plan I set for myself after the 21st will include limits on usage.

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December 21, 2008

The Little Extra Things Add Value

I just had my car fixed at Sippl's Auto Service, my local garage. They replaced the alternator, serpentine belt and belt tensioner, and even threw in repair of a ground wire that needed updating.

I was very pleased with the work, but the little thing that most impressed me was a repair they made on a plastic wiring cover under my dashboard they didn't mention.

That stinkin' plastic cover had been bugging me for weeks — I tried fixing the attachment pin, tried duct tape and yet it still fell down at my feet. Arggg!

But my garage fixed it with a new attachment pin, and didn't mention it. This little extra detail impressed me. Why? Because it showed that the mechanic cared enough to do this one little extra thing for me, his customer.

That's why I continue to take my cars to Sippl's — because these little extra details are a consistent thing they do, and I really appreciate it.

Giving a Little Extra = Value

I've been noticing when others give a little more like the example above, and am adapting this to my personal and professional life. It's not easy, because when I'm busy, the temptation is to do as little as I can get away with. But I've never found "as little as you can get away with" a good long-term solution. Eventually, it shows.

In my experience, giving a little more than expected does work. For a little additional cost, in time, or something extra delivered, I've found it builds trust and enhances my reputation as someone who cares about those I choose to work with.

Every day I ask how I can improve in this area. Some days I'm better at it and on some days I fail. But the point is to constantly try adding value by doing just a little beyond the expectation. I aim to keep improving at this every day.

Here's the question to consider — how in your professional and personal life, can you give a little bit more than expected? Is there a little thing you can do that isn't necessarily much more effort but communicates that you care?

When you find these little things, do them!

The little extra things add value.

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May 19, 2008

First Day at Northwoods

Today was my first day at Northwoods Software and I think it went very well.

The 15 minute commute was enjoyable. It provided a time to mentally shift gears and prepare for work, while enjoying El Ten Eleven tunes in the car.

Everyone was very welcoming, and I felt right at home in the culture, even though I was processing so much information. I know I'll eventually learn the new names, the way things work, and settle into a work groove.

With such a significant change of environment, culture, people and systems to adapt to, a little shock to the system is to be expected. I'm OK with that, because I know this is the way every new job is. It's a challenge, but I'll adapt. Just knowing this is normal, frees me to relax and enjoy the adaptation process.

I found it strange my first day to not being working from my home office. While I'm sure there will be times when it makes sense to work from home, shifting away from the comfort of my regular work environment was a big change.

My office is still very sparse, featuring only a desk, computer, dual screens and two chairs. However, I'm looking forward to adjusting the room orientation, adding furniture, artwork and applying paint to the former hospital room.

Northwoods has a DeLonghi Automatic espresso machine in the kitchen and I plan a daily visit to create creama-topped shots of espresso. Yum!

I'm excited about this new phase in my life. Having an opportunity to be challenged, to grow in new ways, and to share with others is what life is all about. :-)

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May 2, 2008

Clay Shirky & the Power of Disposable Attention

Thanks to Derek Dysart, I was able to hear Clay Shirky's "Gin, Television, and Social Surplus" talk from the Web 2.0 Expo, embedded for your viewing pleasure:

Clay's assertion is that like gin sold from pushcarts helping Londoners cope with the sudden shift from rural farming to urban industrialization, the TV sitcom helped post-WWII society cope with a new surplus of leisure and free time:

If I had to pick the critical technology for the 20th century, the bit of social lubricant without which the wheels would've come off the whole enterprise, I'd say it was the sitcom. Starting with the Second World War a whole series of things happened--rising GDP per capita, rising educational attainment, rising life expectancy and, critically, a rising number of people who were working five-day work weeks. For the first time, society forced onto an enormous number of its citizens the requirement to manage something they had never had to manage before — free time.

He argues that society is awakening from a focus on TV sitcoms, and is realizing that they are in a position to create the content they want. They are able to contribute to the discussion, in ways not possible before:

And it's only now, as we're waking up from that collective bender, that we're starting to see the cognitive surplus as an asset rather than as a crisis. We're seeing things being designed to take advantage of that surplus, to deploy it in ways more engaging than just having a TV in everybody's basement.

What Shirky calls a cognitive surplus, I like to call disposable attention. Some may choose to spend attention on one-way activities like TV, but this is changing with the new generation. Shirky shares this story about one young girl's reaction to TV:

I was having dinner with a group of friends about a month ago, and one of them was talking about sitting with his four-year-old daughter watching a DVD. And in the middle of the movie, apropos nothing, she jumps up off the couch and runs around behind the screen. That seems like a cute moment. Maybe she's going back there to see if Dora is really back there or whatever. But that wasn't what she was doing. She started rooting around in the cables. And her dad said, "What you doing?" And she stuck her head out from behind the screen and said, "Looking for the mouse."

I'm fascinated at how deeply this 4 year old has been impacted by interactivity in her life. She so wanted to have an impact on the TV show she was experiencing that she had to "find the mouse" in an effort to make an impact. Consuming was not enough for her — she wanted to interact.

There are many new opportunities available to us that were not available 10 years ago. We have the power to create. We have the power to write our own stories on blogs, tell them in podcasts and show them in videos. We can contribute to larger projects like Wikipedia or attend BarCamps.

The encouragement to me in all this is we're moving beyond the stage of simply sitting on a couch, accepting what's being presented. We're given the opportunity to create and share our own stories, finding there are others like us out there, interested in our stories and willing to share theirs with us.

Here are a few great parting quotes from Shirky's talk:

Here's something four-year-olds know: A screen that ships without a mouse ships broken. Here's something four-year-olds know: Media that's targeted at you but doesn't include you may not be worth sitting still for. Those are things that make me believe that this is a one-way change. Because four year olds, the people who are soaking most deeply in the current environment, who won't have to go through the trauma that I have to go through of trying to unlearn a childhood spent watching Gilligan's Island, they just assume that media includes consuming, producing and sharing.

We're looking for the mouse. We're going to look at every place that a reader or a listener or a viewer or a user has been locked out, has been served up passive or a fixed or a canned experience, and ask ourselves, "If we carve out a little bit of the cognitive surplus and deploy it here, could we make a good thing happen?" And I'm betting the answer is yes.

Related Links
Transcript of Clay's talk
Book: Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
Mark Bernstein: Shirky and History

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April 17, 2008

Moleskine Planner Hack: 2 Years Later

Amazing to think that almost 2 years ago, I created my first Hacked Planner from a pocket sized, 192-page, ruled Moleskine notebook. Better yet, I'm still using a hacked Moleskine planner (my 4th) to manage my personal life.

Below is an image of the 4 hacked planners I have used these past 2 years:

I've been wanting to gather my thoughts about the Moleskine Planner Hack for some time. This seems the perfect opportunity to capture my observations:

Still Surprisingly Popular— The hacked Moleskine book photo, with it's myriad hover notes is the most popular image of my Flickr collection, currently at 53,484 views, with and 344 people calling it a favorite. The post on my blog is regularly the highest hit page of my site, which after nearly 2 years amazes me. It would seem logical that creating a custom planner to suit your own needs is striking a chord with people on the net.

Customized to My Needs — I've loved having a planner I can tailor to my needs, even if they change. Pre-printed planners and calendars are OK, but If I need more note pages, I can't add them. If I prefer a different schedule view that fits how I work — out of luck. With a custom, hand-drawn planner, I'm the boss. It takes a little work to create, but the complete control and flexibility it offers is worth the initial effort.

I Write & Sketch More — Having free pages in the back of the book encourages me to write my thoughts, capture ideas and important info, and sketch things I see or are on my mind. Always having paper and pen makes this possible and pleasurable.

Makes a Great Carrying Case — Carrying a Moleskine allows me to keep business cards, coffee cards and other tidbits in the back pocket, so they're handy when I need them. The pocket works great for carrying a backup $20 bill along.

Works Well with Index Cards & Sticky Notes — The pocket sized book works very well with both index cards and sticky notes. I now put my task lists on sticky notes and place them in a tasks area, so they can be easily updated. I can also place sticky notes on the cover of the planner. I can also carry index cards along as needed.

Overall, the experience of moving to a paper-based, custom planner has been very positive. Of course there are some things missing, like a full list of contacts and alarms. However, my iPod touch handles the alarms, and provides access to my contacts (not to mention email and web access with WiFi).

Give the Planner Hack a Try!
If you're on the fence about creating your own Moleskine Planner Hack, why not pick up a Moleskine and give it a try? Visit my dedicated site PlannerHack.com for more details on the hack, and links to other hacks available.

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January 9, 2008

Year in Review: 2007

Happy New Year!

I know it's a week into 2008 as I write these words. It's taken a week to process my thoughts on 2007.

Here are a few thoughts on what happened and what I've learned, in no particular order.

Lessons from Belize
In July, Gail and I and 30 others from our church headed to Belize, Central America for a service trip. What an amazing experience. We spent the week visiting nursing homes, running a Vacation Bible School, playing sports and hanging out with the people of St. Margaret's Village. The people were friendly, the food was delicious, and the landscapes were incredibly beautiful. I sketched.

Initially, I found the poverty of Belize, especially in the village, a bit shocking. However, as I lived among the people for a short time, I came to see how content and free Belizeans were with their lack of stuff. It's had an impact, causing me think much more critically about all of the stuff I have, much of it gathering dust or in boxes. This is something that will be dealt with in 2008.

The openness of the villagers was wonderful. On several occasions, small teams walked through the village, stopping to meet people. We'd talk, with no regard for time. In one case we were given fresh pineapple juice and 3 pineapples to go, after a visit with a hospitable Mennonite family. We said thanks with a sketchtoon.

I now realize how truly precious clean water is, after drinking so much of it daily. I'll never look at water the same way again.

Selling & Buying Homes
This year sold our house, buying a little bit larger place. We worked hard to prepare our home, cleaning, storing stuff off-site and staging it for an open house Memorial Day weekend. The hard work paid off in a quick sale (5 days).

Searching for houses tough work too. After staging our home, we were amazed at the condition a few sellers showed their houses in. After hours of visits and showings, we found a place we really love, in beautiful area. I'm just glad it's done.

My advice: locate the best real estate agent you can find to guide you. Be picky. Our agent, Donna Best, spent time educating us, searching house and making everything about the process so much easier. With a trip to Belize in the mix of selling and buying, having Donna on our team was literally a Godsend.

Moving is a Pain
Moving took its toll on my productivity. The new office features a window, which is a great improvement, though I came to see how much work I'd invested in setting up the original office these past 6 years. After 5 months in the new office, I'm just starting to feel settled and on the road to full productivity.

We still have boxes to unpack, and areas to finalize in the house, which is also a bit painful. Fortunately, the opportunity to remake the house into our own space counterbalances the pain somewhat. A remodeled kitchen is on the top of the list.

I Love Blogging
Its amazing to have celebrated 4 years of blogging at Rohdesign in 2007. Back in February 2003, I never would have guessed I'd still be here four years later. I'm pleased that the Rohdesign Weblog has maintained its general nature, while gaining a focus on design in the past couple of years.

I've especially enjoyed sharing my logo and icon design processes, and those post seemed quite popular. In 2007 I've had several readers hire me to help with corporate identities, websites and icon design work. This year especially, I've found my blog is an excellent reference to my design work and thinking, 24/7/365.

Declining Apple
Back in October, I made a decision to decline a job opportunity to apply for the Apple iPhone/OS X team. Since writing that post, I've received many replies from readers, clients, friends and family, thanking me for sharing my story. The more I talk with friends and ponder the choice, the clearer I am about choosing my current path.

Sharing caused a few friends to share their own stories of turning down lucrative or prestigious opportunities. They've all encouraged my decision to choose my family, my work with MakaluMedia and Milwaukee over the glitter of Silicon Valley.

Business was Great
In 2007, business was great. After 3 years starting from scratch in offering my design services, I feel I've stepped to a new level. I'm working with great clients, doing very interesting and challenging work and making a profit.

I've been focusing on several key areas: logo design and branding, web design and icon design. Of these I most enjoy logo design which I can then apply to multiple other mediums like websites, business cards, stationery, manuals, ads — branding. I thoroughly enjoy building consistent packages from an identity, because I know the extra effort provides my clients a competitive advantage. It pays to notice the details.

Working with MicroISVs has been a wonderful, as I have access to the decision maker. Not only does this reduce excess communications with a group, it speeds the decision making process considerably. Plus it's fun being a MicroISV's secret weapon.

A Great Year
Overall, 2007 was a great year for me. Yes, selling houses and moving was a pain, but long-term is was a good move for our family. Belize was life-changing, work was satisfying and fun, and being approached by Apple was a huge highlight.

Thank you for reading my words, leaving comments, sending emails and sharing 2007 with me. I'm looking forward to new opportunities in 2008.

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December 10, 2007

Goodbye Marc Orchant

I heard the news last night that my friend Marc Orchant passed away.

The world has lost a truly great man.

Marc suffered after a massive heart attack last week Sunday morning at his home in New Mexico and never recovered from it.

I met Marc when Jeremy Wagstaff contacted us both about a Loose Wire article for WSJ.com on the Moleskine. We started an email conversation from our shared appearance in that article, and had kept in touch ever since.

In my dealings with Marc, I found him an incredibly optimistic, encouraging and passionate guy. His optimism rubbed off on me every time we talked, and his encouragement of my work and me as a person will not be forgotten.

Even though we never met in person, Marc had a way of immediately treating me as an old friend. I was always encouraged by talks with him, and his high opinion of my work and thoughts. Marc bought the coffee items I created and sold, and constantly supported me with his encouraging words.

Marc, I'm really going to miss you buddy.

Photo: Brian Solis

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December 4, 2007

Brett Favre: Sportsman of the Year 2007

Have you ever wondered why Packer fans in Wisconsin and around the country are so nuts for quarterback, Brett Favre?

Now you can find out: read Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year 2007 Award article.

In this in-depth piece, Sports Illustrated's Alan Shipnuck covers Favre's on-field excellence, leadership role with the Packers, and his efforts off the field with sick and disabled kids in Wisconsin and Mississippi.

I love watching Brett play, but I'm even more impressed and inspired by his off field persona.

The Favre family have been to hell and back the last few years, yet they keep on fighting. Cancer, death, addictions, injury, just about anything a family could experience, the Favres have come through it.

"People here treat us like family, and I think they care for us like family," says Deanna. "Because of everything we've been through, they don't see Brett as untouchable or as some kind of superhero. And they've been through it with us. The fans here feel close to Brett because they've all had their own similar struggles. Nothing against Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but I'm not sure their fans relate to them in the same way."

It's how they've come through adversity that inspires me. Never complaining about the hand they were dealt, they kept positive and kept fighting, showing their real mettle in how they handled the worst life had to offer.

"The funny thing is, it's not only about the touchdowns and the big victories. If I were to make a list, I would include the interceptions, the sacks, the really painful losses. Those times when I've been down, when I've been kicked around, I hold on to those. In a way those are the best times I've ever had, because that's when I've found out who I am. And what I want to be." — Brett Favre

I love John Biever's photo (above), because it so perfectly captures Brett's attitude.

Congratulations Brett! You deserve it!

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October 30, 2007

SEED Conference Thoughts & Sketchnotes

Whew! I'm back from Monday's excellent SEED Conference in Chicago.

What a great event! The Illinois Institute of Technology and Rem Koolhaas' Tribune Student Center building, was an incredibly cool venue. Funky lines and the architectural space provided a unique backdrop for the sessions of the day.

Carlos Segura
All of the sessions were very good, though the most interesting for me as a designer was hearing Carlos Segura speak. He talked about taking risks and thinking deeper for clients and going beyond only what they ask to figuring out what they really need.

I was especially inspired by the Corbis Stock Photo case study, where Carlos' team changed the stock agency's overall approach to consider their clients (designers) and in doing so, changed an entire industry.

Segura also stressed keeping small, working on projects and with clients you really want to work with. Good work comes from these situations, and by staying small you aren't constantly taking jobs you dislike just to keep everyone busy. In fact, this turned into a thread that connected all of the talks of the day.

Jason Fried
Jason spoke very briefly, so he could open the floor for lots of Q&A time. He recommended these 5 items:

• Watch out for red flags
• Keep your team small
• Make sure your staff has alone time
• Keep meetings short and focused
• Make tiny decisions instead of massive ones

Jason also recommended a small team size, though his perspective focused a little more on communication issues with small vs. large teams and scaling projects to fit your team size rather than scaling your team to fit scope.

I resonated most with Jason's call for alone time. I work remotely, but even though I work alone, there is always a temptation towards IM, email or phone calls, and I find that blocking out chunks of alone time makes a difference. I know this may be a tough one for the multi-tasking generation, but I think it really can help your focus.

Jim Coudal
I loved Jim Coudal's candor and relaxed approach, and especially his openness in sharing his firm's successes and failures. He shared several stories and films, and drew ideas from them. My take away:

• Be curious
• Choose people on their taste
• Don't be afraid to fail

Jim talked about his curiosity and how many of the things he's been curious about have turned into business ideas. Curiosity helps with client work, since you can get to speed quickly and often see a problem from a different perspective than the client.

He also talked about identifying people and hiring them on taste over technical talent. Not untalented people with taste, but rather if you had to choose between two people and one had good taste, go with taste over talent.

Coudal suggested that failures are OK. They're learning experiences which often create opportunities that might never have happened otherwise. You have to learn to identify and capitalize on unexpected opportunities that often grow out of failures.

Discussion Session: Segura, Fried & Coudal
The most interesting of the sessions was the final hour or so of open discussion time with Carlos, Jason and Jim at the front of the room. They fielded all sorts of questions from attendees about their ideas. Questions about small teams, marketing, simplicity, community, building products while still managing client work, questions about creating apps that rely solely on other platorms (Facebook), and more.

Of all the sessions, this was the one I and the 4 other guys I met, thought was the best of all. Why? Because they had a chance to respond immediately and candidly to random questions. I also enjoyed hearing them discuss and explore ideas in depth that hadn't come out in their talks. Finally, it was interesting to hear their similarity of thought and subtle differences of approach and opinion on the same questions.

Sketchnotes
As mentioned last week, I took my pocket Moleskine sketchbook along and captured 17 pages of sketchnotes, from the entire day's talks and discussions, including Carlos Segura, Jason Fried, Edward Lifson and Jim Coudal.

I didn't try to capture everything said during yeterday's event, since others were probably doing that.

Instead, I took time to listen and analyze the talks, distilling and capturing the main ideas I was hearing. By doing a bit of on-the-fly processing, it forced me to boil down what was being said, then express it in ink on the page in a way that would be meaningful to me and to others who might read my sketchnotes later.

To make the notes interesting, I played with typography and images with the sketchnotes, to provide a little texture and depth beyond pages of gray text.

SEED Sketchnotes on Coudal Partners
Seems my notes have struck a chord. Jim Coudal of Coudal Partners emailed about my sketchnotes on Flickr and made mention in their Fresh Signals feed. Thanks Jim!

SEED Sketchnotes on Signal vs. Noise
Awesome! 37signals noticed them too: Mike Rohde's SEED Conference 2007 sketchbook notes. Thanks Matt!

Pretty cool to have speakers and sponsors mention notes taken during the event. :-)

Overall, SEED Conference was well worth the time and price to attend.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

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September 19, 2007

10 Years of Rohdesign.com

This morning iCal beeped at me, as it sometimes does, though today's message kinda surprised me:

rohdesign.com 10 is years old!

Wow, 10 years! Time has passed qucikly since registering rohdesign.com in 1997.

So much has changed. When I first registered the domain, I was using Adobe PageMill to build my sites, fighting with layout quirks and strange code that seemed to appear when layouts got a bit too complex. What painful days they were.

I had a "Home Page" back then, and I was migrating from a tiny bit of space on AOL's servers, provided as a subscriber. I'd run into limitations with the space, was struggling with PageMill and it was time to take the next step.

I was playing with BBEdit by then, learning how HTML code worked, how to create fast-loading images, exploring FTP posting to my new space with Anarchie.

1997 was also the year I seriously considered joining Matt Henderson in his new company ExpoNet, which later became MakaluMedia, and visited Germany for the 3rd time, to attend the wedding of my friends Martin and Thea.

It's wild to see how far the web has come since 1997, and how I and my friends have changed in 10 years. In some ways I could never have imagined how different 2007 would look, while in other ways, how many things have remained the same.

Happy birthday Rohdesign.com! :-)

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August 29, 2007

Infomania

Today I came across an interesting paper on Infomania — the deadly combination of email overload and constant interruptions. It's a challenging piece, which really got me thinking about Infomania's impact in my work and personal life.

Written by Nathan Zeldes, David Sward and Sigal Louchheim, the paper describes the severe effects of Infomania on productivity and quality of life for knowledge workers, as well as its impact on businesses:

In this work, we show that this phenomenon places knowledge workers and managers worldwide in a chronic state of mental overload. It exacts a massive toll on employee productivity and causes significant personal harm, while organizations ultimately pay the price with extensive financial loss.

Lately, I've been much more aware of interruptions and how they work against my productivity. I've spent about a month setting up my new home office, trying to establish a regular work pattern after the move — It's been difficult. In this in-between state I can see how damaging interruptions can be.

Fortunately, my office and work patterns have now stabilized, and I'm eliminating interruptions and distractions. Even so, there are always temptations to allow interruptions to steal my focus.

Solving this problem would have a positive and immediate impact on organizational results, while restoring computer–based communications technology to its rightful role as promoter of personal and organizational effectiveness.

I have more recently felt the need to physically avoid my office on weekends and evenings. I just want to be somewhere else, so I can recharge for the next day's work.

It's not for a lack of loving what I do — design work, my clients, and the company I work for — there is something deep within me that yearns for separation.

Time away from the computer during the workday is refreshing. I'm fortunate that a large portion of my work is research, thinking and sketching with pencil and paper.

What about your situation?
Do you feel the pressure of Infomania at work, at home? Do you have established times away from technology for refreshment? Have a journal you can write, sketch and get away from technology in?

I recommend Reading the paper and pondering the evidence.

Thanks to Dave Gray for the Infomania link!

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June 14, 2007

"Trying to look good limits my life." — Stefan Sagmeister

I love that quote from Stefan Sagmeister.

It questions concerns with looking good, in context of being real and taking risks. Trying new things. Doing something that may not exactly fit your image.

Why are we so concerned with looking good?

Of course, I understand why on one level. You want to look good for your friends and family, your employer, customers, prospective clients, and people in general. That's not what I mean.

I mean maintaining "appearances" rather than letting down your guard and being real.

I mean sharing weaknesses with your family and friends now and then.

Trying the sushi, kimchee or flaming cheese, exactly because eating those strange foods is both scary and exciting.

One thing for me it's not always letting others know what bothers me.

I'm getting better about being assertive and sharing these things, but it's hard. I don't want to hurt feelings. What might people think?

On the other hand, I need to be real and honest. It's limiting my life.

I'm working on it and will try to let go of looking good in exchange for being real.

How does trying to look good limit your life?

Here's Stefan's TED talk, in which he talks about happiness and how it relates to design. This quote is mentioned near the end of his 15 minute talk.

Check out more information on the design piece "Trying to look good limits my life" on Sagmeister's company website.

I've also found a Hillman Curstis short film on Stefan, sponsored by Adobe.

Finally, Stefan's interview at DesignBoom.

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June 2, 2007

The Starbucker Meme: What's in Your Glass?

My friend Terry Starbucker, whom I met at SOBCon07 a few weeks ago, has tagged me with his new Starbucker theme.

His questions for me are:

How full is your glass?

75% full.

What kind of glass is it?

A hand-made ceramic coffee cup.

What's in the glass?

Strong, delicious coffee of course! :-)

Reasons for #1, #2, and #3

I have a wonderful wife and son and supportive family, great friends, and I live in a wonderful place: Milwaukee. I have a job that allows me to help small businesses define their identities, which I love to do every day, and I'm living and participating in one of the most exciting times in history.

There are certainly challenges, but I'm realisticly optimisitic. I know that there is good and bad in this world, yet I choose to have a positive attitude toward life by loving God and loving others.

As for type of cup and contents — I'm a coffee fan, so what else could I say? :-)

Thanks Terry!

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May 16, 2007

SOBCon08 Suggestions

Now that I've taken a little time to unpack my thoughts about SOBCon07, I felt it would be a good time to share my suggestions for SOBCon08:

• More Workshops — I would love to see more workshop sessions, like we did with the "Iowa Caucus" of Mike Sansone, Mike Wagner and Drew McLellan. The ideas and collaboration from this session was energizing, but we ran out of time.

• Longer Breaks — I wished for more/larger gaps between sessions, to congregate with others and get to know them better. I just popped out to meet with people to solve it, but I'd prefer not to choose between sessions and meeting others.

• Free WiFi — T-Mobile WiFi was available for individual purchase, but I'd prefer a free, SOBCOn WiFi service to encourage more blogging during the event. I think 3 or 4 WiFi base stations would have been about right to avoid a saturated network.

• SOBCon Speaker & Attendee Page — I'd love to see an official speaker and attendee page on the SOBCon site, with names, photos, bios, 5 favorite posts and blog links. This would help new attendees "meet" other attendees before the event.

• Unified SOBCon Page & RSS Feed — What about a single Page and RSS feed, where any post with "SOBCon" and "SOBCOn08" tags would be included? Attendees could follow a single feed, and see every related post before, during and after the event.

• All Day Coffee — In the afternoon on Saturday, a couple of attendees and I were searching for coffee but found only stacks of soda bottles. It'd be great to keep hot coffee available all day, for those of us who like the rich, black brew. :-)

I hope these suggestions will encourage the '07 attendees to suggest some ideas in the comments, and be useful for SOBCon08 next year.

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May 15, 2007

Unpacking SOBCon07

I'm not surprised to find myself still brewing and unpacking the reverberations of this weekend at SOBCon07. The conference was a concentrated burst of energy, community and challenges, that I haven't been able to completely process.

Part of it for me, and I think for many attendees, was diving headlong into something completely new, without any expectation of what to expect, or what we'd get out of it.

I didn't know anyone but my buddy Phil Gerbyshak, so I had to step out and meet some new people. That's the wild thing though — people were stepping out to meet me, treating me as an old friend.

Some of this must be chalked up to knowing Phil, but much of the warmth and friendliness of other people seemed to be at the very core of the SOBCon vibe.

Here are some observations after much brewing and pondering:

We all came to give and take. Everyone present came ready to give something away, while being confident they would receive that much and more in return. Everyone I met was sharing energy, which encouraged me to keep sharing my energy.

This was our conference. Bloggers dreamed it up, handled the logistics, showed up and then created it like a barn raising. We connected and encouraged each other, challenged each other and made it happen. Two nights in a row, I witnessed people spontaneously gathering to talk, pulling chairs into circles until no chairs were left.

We are brands, like it or not. One thread running through the Saturday sessions was how we're all projecting a brand (ourselves), whether conscious or unconscious. From our writing to our blog design, everything we project and communicate is our brand. The challenge for everyone was how to sync your brand with who you really are.

We're communicators, not bloggers. David Armano challenged us to stop calling ourselves bloggers, and instead consider ourselves “conversation architects.” I'm a communicator — whether with words, sketches, graphics, sound or video — I aim to communicate with others through this space on the web. Rohdesign is now operating without "Weblog" in the title to reinforce this idea.

Conclusion: I had a great time at SOBCon07!

It was more powerful than I expected, and the people were wonderful. I've already established relationships with several people I resonated with, and plan to build more relationships as the week goes on. Relationships really are at the heart of SOBCon.

I was also challenged to step my communication to the next level. After 4+ years of writing at Rohdesign, I'm energized to keep on sharing, encouraging and learning.

I can't wait for SOBCon08!

SOBCon07 Attendees:
Liz Strauss
Wendy Piersall
Andy Sernovitz
Phil Gerbyshak
David Armano
Mike Sansone
Drew McLellan
Mike Wagner
Terry Starbucker
Christine Kane
Rodney Rumford
Ben Yoskovitz
Chris Cree
Robyn Tippins
Diego Orjuela
Vernon Lun
Jonathan C. Phillips
Sandra Renshaw
Brad Shorr
Timothy Johnson
Tammy Lenski
Sean Rox
Muhammad Saleem
Lorelle VanFossen
David Dalka
Todd And
John Yedinak
Joe Hauckes
Tim Draayer
Jeremy Geelan
Carolyn Manning
Sheila Scarborough
Steve Farber
Dawud Miracle
Doug Mitchell
Jeff O’Hara
Dave Schoof
Jamy Shiels
Adam Steen
Hannah Steen
Chris Thilk
Barry Zweibel
Eric Bingen
Ellen Moore
Cord Silverstein
Jean-Patrick Smith
James Walton
Sharan Tash
Vernon Lun
Tony Lee
Scott Desgrosseilliers
Mark Murrell
Kammie Kobyleski
Easton Ellsworth
Mark Goodyear
Ann Michael
Kent Blumberg
Ashley Cecil
Robert Hruzek
Sabu N G
Mazur Krystyna
Lisa Gates
Franke James
Chris Brown
Troy Worman
Karen Putz
Jesse Petersen
Terry Mapes
Andy Brudtkuhl
Lucia Mancuso
Peter Flaschner
Derrick Sorles
Thomas Clifford
Rajesh Srivastava
Claire Celsi
Jason Alba
Alex Shalman
Cristiana Passinato
Brad Spirrison
Ari Garber
Dr. Rob Wolcott
Cheryll Cruz
Sharon Scherer
Jason Wade
Jill Pullen
Doug Bulleit
Wendy Kinney
Brenda Friedrich
Ella Wilson
Chelsea Vincent
Ayush Agarwal
Paul Mangalik
Premchand Kallan
Xochi Kaplan
Michael Snell
James Bergstrom
Raj Majumder
Keith Levenson

Special thanks to Jonathan C. Phillips for providing this extensive list of attendees. :-)

Photo: Vernon Lun

sobcon07

Technorati Tags: sobcon07, rohdesign, mike+rohde

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May 4, 2007

What Would My Great Grandfather Think of Me?

Have you ever wondered what your ancestors would think of you, your life and the time you live in?

About a month ago, I received a book of family history, which traces our family history from Bobitz, Germany in the Mecklenburg region (near the Baltic Sea).

My great grandfather, John Martin, came to the US in 1873, and settled near Juneau, WI where he lived, established a farm, and had children, one of which was my grandfather Edwin.

What Would He Think?
Reading through our family's story, I've begun to ask: what would John Martin think of me, my life and the time, place and culture I live in?

I ask this probably for validation, but I think more for curiosity sake. I'd be very interested in his reactions, and to hear his wisdom, learned from years of hard experience as an immigrant, husband and father.

I wonder if he would he be amazed at the Internet, which allows me to work from Milwaukee with colleagues, clients and friends around the world? Being a farmer, what would he think of the virtual world I live in?

Would the "magic" of computers and tiny gadgets surprise him or would they seem like cheap flashing toys to him?

I wonder what he would have been like, quiet or talkative? A reader? An artist?

Obviously, I may never know, but it's interesting to ponder.

If I Were to Guess...
I think he would be proud to see the family continuing on, adapting to the world in which it found itself. John Martin lived through some amazing shifts in culture: the German Revolution, the turn of the century and the rise of industrialism, World War I, the Great Depression and more. How cool it would be to hear his stories now.

The sketch above was done early this morning, as these questions bounced around in my head. I wanted to capture an image of John Martin as a way of personalizing and honoring him as my great grandfather.

John Martin, I hope I'm making you proud.

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April 28, 2007

The Power of Encouraging Words

This week I've been given many encouraging words from friends and family on my design, writing, for the person I am, and what I mean to them.

Sincere words of encouragement from people you trust, are incredibly uplifting. Words of encouragement can keep me going strong for weeks or months.

Here's my challenge:
if you admire someone, either for who they are, what they do, or what they mean to you — tell them today! The surge of positive, heartfelt words will encourage them, maybe more than you know.

Life is so short — don't miss a chance to make a positive impact!

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April 24, 2007

Doubt Sketchtoon Notes

A few weeks ago, Tom Slye, the youth director at my church gave an excellent message on doubt. He talked about what doubt is, and offered ways to think about and deal with doubt in a realistic ways.

I often take notes during messages, as it helps my mind process the words. Lately I've been toying with the idea of capturing notes in a graphical way — using typography for emphasis — to force myself to focus on the core of the talk within a limited space.

On the right is my one-page sketchtoon from Tom's talk on doubt, which I think turned out pretty well.

There are a few things I want to try on future talks, like mental imagery and drawings embedded in the text, even color if I can pick up a small set of markers or pencils that are easy to carry along with my Moleskine sketchbook.

In general, I find sketching out notes offers a different, more focused way of engaging of my whole brain, rather than just left brain.

Just yesterday I was inspired to explore this idea of sketching notes, when I came across Dave Gray's wonderful LIFT Conference sketches. His stylized sketch notes are another cool way to capture notes from a talk in a more visual way.

Here's a great talk by Dave Gray and Dana smith on Visual Thinking, with some exercises you can follow along with. Be sure to check out Dave's Visual Thinking School on Squidoo. All good stuff, check it out!

I'll post more sketch notes here as I do them, now that I'm inspired to explore this area a bit more. If you have ideas for me, leave them in the comments! :-)

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March 29, 2007

Learning Good Value from My Local Garage

Today I was pondering why customers hire me to help solve their design challenges.

I believe it comes down to one simple thing: providing good value.

What's good value?
It's demonstrated by my local garage, Gordy's Service on 84th and Bluemound in Milwaukee.

Why? Because the guys there treat me well, tell me when fixes are truly critical and try hard keep my costs reasonable, as long as it doesn't jeopardize our family's safety or our car's well-being.

They open early and stay open late. They're up the street from Stone Creek Coffee, so I can do a little work while I wait for my cars to be serviced. Their guys are friendly and quick and they tell me the truth.

When it was time to buy new tires last year, I went to Gordy's. Turns out they weren't much more than the big retailer at the Mall. I know if I have questions, Gordy's guys are there to help. In fact, I think they were a better value, because I knew the same guy who installed them would be there if I had a question.

What happens when Gordy's gives me a good value? I tell other people about them, and faithfully get my work done there, even if I have to schedule an appointment because they're busy.

This is what I strive for daily in my own business dealings with clients. To be honest and clear, helpful and understanding. To help solve challenges for a reasonable price. To be fast, good and to tell the truth.

To provide a good value to my clients.

What's your definition of good value?

Photo by Michael Bowman (Duff Suds)

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March 19, 2007

Embrace the Creative Process

I've noticed a recurring theme emerging in the logo, icon and web design work I've been doing the past year — the importance of loving the creative process and embracing design iterations, rather than fighting them.

Sometimes design iterations can feel like barriers to finishing a project. However, I find that by flowing with iterations and the process of design, I end up with better work in the end. Design is all about iteration, and exploring crazy, spur of the moment ideas.

I think this quote sums it up nicely:

"Keep in touch with your soul by developing your technique. There are no mistakes, so... just work. The more you work the more you'll figure out if that's your bliss." — Fernando Araujo

Embrace the process. iterations are a chance to push yourself to the next level. When you embrace and enjoy the process, you'll see your joy reflected in your work.

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February 27, 2007

Fascinating Taste3 Talk on Starbucks

Last night I came across this fascinating talk on Starbucks, given by Temple University History Professor Bryant Simon at the Taste3 Conference:

It was fascinating to hear Bryant deconstruct how he believes Starbucks works, and how our patronage of Starbucks reflects our culture. He discusses three aspects: the functional, emotional and expressive aspects of Starbucks.

"What we drink has meaning — it says something about who we are."

Bryant talks about the high caffeine content of Starbucks coffee (about twice other coffees), the emotional reasons why we buy (self-gifting, ordering language use and predictability) and the expressive aspects of Starbucks (being part of the performance, and showing our ability to afford the luxury of a fancy coffee).

Bryant's talk was both fascinating and disturbing, which for me is a good thing.

Technorati Tags: starbucks, taste3, culture

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February 17, 2007

Remote Working Question on LinkedIn Answers

As a member of LinkedIn for a while now, I've been impressed with how that service has been adding value and making their service better and better.

I've been especially intrigued by the new LinkedIn Answers feature, where members can ask questions of their connections and see answers listed on a dedicated page.

My friend and fellow Milwaukee blogger Phil Gerbyshak asked an interesting question about the best questions to ask to know someone better and got 70 replies as of this writing. Wow! I thought I'd give this new feature a shot myself.

My LinkedIn Question
Being a happy remote worker for 8+ years, I wanted to get some good ideas for improving how I work and sharing these ideas with others, so I asked this question:

If you work remotely, or from a home office, what are your best tips and suggestions for keeping on track and sustaining your passion for work and productivity?

I love remote working, but I'm quite sure I don't know everything! I'm sure I can improve how I work, so it makes sense to seek the knowledge and wisdom of others. If you are a remote or home worker and wish to reply, the question will remain active for 7 days, so don't wait too long. :-)

If you are a former remote worker, or are a more traditional worker with ideas to share, I'd love to hear your answers at my LinkedIn Answers page.

Related Links
For background on why this idea came up, here are some related links:

Full-time freelancing: 10 things learned in 180 days (Cameron Moll)
Farewell to freelancing: Final lessons learned (Cameron Moll)
Working from Home (Joel on Software Discussion)
My Unusual Work Life (Rohdesign Weblog)

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December 28, 2006

Greatness Inspires Greatness

"Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions.
Small people always do that, but the really great
make you believe that you too can become great."

— Mark Twain

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October 9, 2006

You Are a Leader, Whether You Like It or Not

In the past 3 years I've been reading books about leadership, discussing leadership with friends and pondering what leadership looks like in my life. Though my reading, discussing and pondering, a theme has emerged:

You are a leader, whether you like it or not.

You may not want to be a leader, but it's too late. Someone, somewhere already considers you a leader in spite of the ideas you may have constructed about yourself.

When I came to understand the idea that leadership emerges from my personality — that it forms itself based on who I am — that old self concept of just being a follower had to change.

You see, I was never one to think of myself as a leader. As a child I was a follower. In my mind, I defined myself as a follower, not as a leader. I considered others to be leaders, but not me — I was the quiet, reliable, encouraging team player who supported leaders behind the scenes.

In reality my "follower" qualities were my "leadership" qualities. I started to see other qualities I'd dismissed as my curious or encouraging nature: the desire to see others get better, excitement about learning and teaching, the willingness to try new things and share my experiences. Listening, thinking, acting, connecting.

Whoah. Why didn't I see these attributes? Why did I miss this leadership qualities in my own life?

Simple. It's because I'd created a lens or a filter through which I saw my own life and actions. Because I didn't consider myself a leader, the things I did with my life weren't leadership, they were something else. Anything else.

I was and am a leader — I just hadn't realized it.

Now that I've accepted that I'm a leader, I'm thinking like a leader. Not a self-help book or the month leader who simply adopts the latest theory about what a leader should be — rather I'm letting the leader already in me emerge.

Ideas, experiences and practical applications from my life define who I am as a leader. I'm constantly reviewing who I am, striving to improve myself and striving to see others improve through my leadership.

You are a leader, whether you like it or not.

The deeper question is this — what will you do about it?

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September 11, 2006

In Rememberance: September 11, 2001

5 years.

5 years since the terrorist attacks on New York City, The Pentagon and Pennsylvania.

5 years since everything changed for families of those killed.

5 years since the world has changed for everyone else.

I have not forgotten.

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June 29, 2006

Thoughts on Continuous Partial Attention

This week I came across the podcast Attention: The *Real* Aphrodisiac which challenged me about the Continuous Partial Attention in my own life.

The talk, from the 2006 Emerging Technology Conference, was given by Linda Stone, formerly of Apple and Microsoft. She begins the talk asking questions of the audience about their experiences in an Anywhere, Anytime, Anyplace, Always-On lifestyle:

1. When people talk to me I really pay attention.

2. When people talk to me I pay partial attention so I can be aware of other things coming up (my phone, blackberry, other people, etc.)

3. The way I currently use computer and communications technology improves my quality of life.

4. My quality of life is often compromised by technology.

5. Technology sets me free.

6. Technology enslaves me.

Pretty interesting questions for anyone living with technology.

Linda coined the phrase Continuous Partial Attention back in the 90s, as she saw this new type of lifestyle emerging in the high tech sector.

Continuous Partial Attention is different than multi-tasking, where the motivation is productivity: giving equal attention to many activities.

Continuous Partial Attention's motivation: being a live node on the network, gaining meaning from the network, being ready for new opportunities at any moment.

But there is a problem. In Linda's experience, people of various ages living this way, share with her a desire for strategies to deal with an always on lifestyle. They want ways to deal with the flood, overload, and over-stimulation of being a live node on the network. I love this quote:

"But this always on, anytime, anywhere, anyplace era has has created an artificial sense of constant crisis. The adrenalized fight or flight mechanism kicks in.

It's great when we're being chased by tigers. How many of those 500 emails a day is a tiger? Or are they mostly mice?

Is everything really such an emergency?

Our way of using the current set of technologies would have us believe it is."

24/7 lifestyles are great, until you can't turn off the fire-hose. We need limits, natural cycles and downtime, to deal with ever-increasing demands and noise we need to continuously filter.

Rather than a continuous barrage of information, input and connections, we need time to focus, to find purpose, to understand the meaning and wisdom from the constant noise all around us.

Check out Attention: The *Real* Aphrodisiac — It's well worth the 24 minutes.

Related Links:
The Power Of Focus by Michael Ashby

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June 12, 2006

Analog Tools Foster Reflection, Creativity and Flow

It's been almost 3 weeks since switching from a Palm handheld to a custom Moleskine weekly planner, which I'm happy to report is going quite well. I'm enjoying having a thin, pocketable planner which can take a beating and never needs a charge.

But beyond my positive experience with paper planner, I've been considering the advantages I'm finding in making use of various analog tools.

For a little perspective, I've been incredibly busy at MakaluMedia, making good headway with my backlog of logo, icon and web design work. I'm finally seeing daylight. I enjoy being busy, especially doing such varied and challenging design projects. I think my latest work is elevating my craft to new levels, and I love it.

However, this state of busyness has made me keenly aware of the fleeting lifestyle I'm living. Jobs come in like waves at the seashore to be quoted and kicked off. Emails build up and must be dealt with constantly. Streams of communication flow through my Mac every day, with clients and colleagues. RSS feeds seem to grow beyond my ability to keep up, so that occasionally I "mark all as read" and move on.

How can I step back, even for a brief moment, and take time to think?

I've found that the analog tools I've adopted, help me step back from the digital edge. Whether it's sketching or writing — placing pen or pencil to paper provides the necessary thought space I need to process, explore, create and think — before I'm sucked back into the computer world.

Why is this? I think there are several factors to why analog tools work so well:

1. Using analog tools forces me to slow down and ponder ideas I might normally skip past while in a computer-accelerated state of mind. I have to process the words I'm planning to write, or consider the shape I want to convey on paper — before or during the writing or sketching. In writing especially, this minimal mental delay slows my mind down and allows me time to build words a little differently than on a keyboard.

2. The feel of pencil and pen on paper provides a different tactile experience than a mouse or keyboard, which helps break computer-mode. There is something supremely pleasurable about smooth graphite or flowing ink on good paper stock. For me, this tactile feeling is a positive part of the drawing process. I find my state of mind and tactile senses are different than when I'm on the computer in Illustrator, Fireworks or Photoshop than when I'm sketching in my Miquelrius with a soft pencil.

3. My creativity is free to roam on paper, which is critical in the design stage. I feel free to explore crazy ideas, less concerned about how to pull them off technically and more interested in getting into a flow and iterating them into to a great idea. This freedom allows me to try many different ideas quickly, and lends itself toward a flow of ideas, rather than getting over-focused on details too quickly.

But to be clear — I am not anti-technology! I use computers daily to manage and perform my design work and appreciate the power and control they offer. I amazed at what can be done with a Mac, and will continue to use one for producing great solutions for clients.

Rather than being anti-technology, I'm challenging computer users to consider analog tools. I'm suggesting we should use the tools (analog or digital) that help our work become the best it can be. That might mean an analog and not digital tool.

I challenge you to explore analog tools as you might already explore digital ones. See how an analog approach might change your perspective, your thinking process, your creativity, your freedom.

Maybe that analog tool will allow you to breathe, ponder, flow and enjoy the creative process even more.

Related Links:
Under The Loupe #4: Keeping a Sketchbook by Jason Santa Maria
Under The Loupe #5: Visual Thinking by Jason Santa Maria
Visual Thinking School by Dave Gray

Technorati Tags: technology, sketches, visual+thinking, design, makalumedia, creativity, drawings

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April 8, 2006

Believing In Others

From today's Quote of the Day:

"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch.

Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."

— ee cummings

We have opportunities every single day to encourage and value others. I'm reminded again and again just how powerful our encouragement of others can be.

The simplest smile and warm "how are you today" might be the ripple which changes someone's day for the better. The constant high value I choose place on relationships may be the ripples which change lives forever.

(The photo is of my son and his buddy, walking and running on a college campus last summer. It was taken with my Zire 72 camera.)

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March 28, 2006

Dogtown, Z-Boys and Old-School Skateboarding Memories

I was digging through our DVD collection on Saturday, when I came across Dogtown and Z-Boys, a documentary I'd picked up a few years ago, about the birth of extreme skateboarding in the late 70s.

While my search for this DVD was for a friend, I decided to watch it once more, before I loaned it out. Wow. I'd forgotten how powerful the Dogtown film was in the years since first watching it. It's the story of a couple of surfers, Jeff Ho and Skip Engblom and how they sponsored a team a local Venice California kids as the Zephyr team (Z-Boys) who shook the world of skateboarding with their extreme yet stylish moves.

As the story unfolded about this crew of misfit guys turned skateboarding rock stars, I was transported back to my youth, and the long summer days spent cruising our neighborhood on skateboards. In the mid and late 70s, I was a skateboarder, along with the rest of my friends in our North Side Chicago neighborhood.

As soon as it was warm enough to ride on cement in the spring, we were out cruising the sidewalks, alleys and streets of our neighborhood. We would ride our boards from early morning 'til late at night — we practically lived on our boards — riding to the store, the park, wherever. Anything out of skateboard range we'd cover on our bikes, with skates under our arms.

We didn't have much vertical terrain or pools like the California riders did, so most of our skating was on the flat, up and down curbs, and on whatever curving bits of cement or blacktop we could locate. Our mission was to find the smoothest terrain, or most challenging areas, then ride them until dinner, eat and get back until we couldn't see for the dusk.

When we started seeing pool and ramp riding take off in Skateboarder Magazine, we managed to construct a quarter pipe in a friend's backyard, riding clear to the top and cracking our wheels on the 1x2 chunk of wood nailed on top, to keep us from flying off. We spent hours perfecting our moves on that ramp, enjoying every run to the top.

Some guys across the street were also into skateboarding, and built a wider, more technically challenging half pipe ramp and challenged our guys to a contest. So, we had a "battle royale" in that cement backyard across the street. our crew did well, matching their guys and proving we could ride ramps with the rest of the skaters on our block. We'd earned their respect and it felt great.

When it was too dark to ride, we would head home and read through the pages Skateboarder, where guys like Craig Stecyk wrote about the Dogtown crew of the Zephyr team — The Z-Boys. We wanted to be like the Z-Boys: Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Bob Biniak, and Wentzle Ruml to name but a few.

Now in reality, our crew of North Side Chicago skaters would have paled in comparison to the Z-Boys, but it didn't matter. Those guys challenged us to be the best we could be. They reminded us that skateboarding was about the pure joy of riding: being free and feeling the wind in our hair as we cruised across a stretch of flawless blacktop, the ground rumbling through our wheels.

I still own an old-school Town & Country skateboard, which I pull it out for rides now and then. After seeing the Dogtown DVD, I'm inspired to head to the neighborhood black-topped parking lot for some riding. I think the joy I experienced as a kid in the 70s is still be embedded in the deck of my old board.

I can't wait to find that joy again. :-)

Technorati Tags: mike+rohde, rohdesign, skateboard, skateboarding, documentary

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February 23, 2006

Glowing Morning Sky

As I walked toward the cafe this morning, I was welcomed by the most gorgeous glowing sky. At the horizon were a blaze of intense oranges and reds, above them, aqua and azure blended into deeper blues. Far to the south, the crescent moon was shrouded by a group soft pink clouds.

I stopped halfway through my walk to snap a photo with the Zire 72, attempting to capture the moment. Even with serious modification in Photoshop, the image above is a poor attempt to capture to the beautiful morning sky I experienced today.

Life is short, and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark way with us. — Amiel

That quote of the day seems to fit well with the image above. I'm reminded on days like these that even something as simple as a beautiful morning sky can alter my attitude for the better.

I am given the choice: to see a gorgeous sky and let the moment pass, or to embrace the moment and let it change myself and others around me.

What will you choose?

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October 8, 2005

Simplicity

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." — Leonardo DaVinci

(via Teri Martin's Quote of the Day) Photo: Happy accident with the Zire 72

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September 28, 2005

Process vs. Specs

Recently I was reminded of some wisdom my dad shared years ago:

“Photography is not about the camera, it's about process of capturing photos. A great photographer can take incredible photos with the simplest camera. It's not about the camera!”

Now, that may sound simple, and really it is. However, I've observed many people getting hung up on Specs when they ought to be focused on Process. I do it too. In fact, here are some of the ways I've learned to move focus from Specs to Process:

Computers: Focus on processor speed, hard drive, screen size, RAM, rather than what can be achieved with the machine as a whole. I'm much more interested in a balanced machine that gets out of my way and lets me get work done, than how powerful the machine is.

Cameras: Focus on the f-stop, shutter speed, lens size, megpaixels, brand name or whatever spec you care to insert here. Some of my favorite images have been captured in my Zire 72's crappy-cam, or on a vintage twin lens or SLR film camera.

Design: Getting hung up on fonts, colors, shading, shadows, shapes, etc. when I should be focused on the message I want to convey to the viewer. I've found that sketching ideas on paper, besides being very fast, removes options and forces me to focus on the idea. There's no plethora of tools or effects to distract — It's my mind, a pencil and paper — anything can happen.

Writing: Focus on spell-checking, grammar, font, leading, layout, etc. when I need to just sit there and hammer out my idea. When I write I like plain text editors or pen and paper for this very reason — there is nothing to distract me from capturing my thoughts.

Transformation: Placing my focus on doing the "right things" in order to appear transformed, rather then being open to real transformation. Doing the right things takes energy, because I'm caught up in how I look to others — being open to transformation takes the effort out of my hands and puts it in God's hands. However, when I am transformed, the "right things" flow naturally and effortlessly.

Setting my mind on Process rather than Specs is difficult in that it requires deeper effort. It's easy to let myself get caught up in activity, focusing on doing the "right things" when in fact I ought to be stopping to think, ponder and plan where I want to go.

However, I've repeatedly found when I move from Spec level to Process level, the results flow naturally, give me more joy, and produce results far better than I could have achieved just focusing on Specs.

Technorati Tags: happiness, creativity, simplicity, transformation

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August 15, 2005

Lessons from the Zoo Train

My son Nathan loves riding the Zoo Train. We live very close to the Milwaukee County Zoo, so when Nathan plays outside and hears the Zoo Train whistle, he lights up and yells “ZOOO TRAIN!!”

Any visit to the Zoo must always begin with a pilgrimage to the Zoo Train. It's just the way it's done. Zoo Train first and then the rest of the zoo afterwards, dad. That's just how civilized 2 and a half year olds do it.

The Zoo train is a scale locomotive, which runs completely around the Milwaukee County Zoo. There are two engines, a steam and a diesel, and the steam engine is highly preferred among discriminating Zoo train aficionados, like Nathan.

Upon entering the park, we head directly for the Zoo train, buy our tickets (Nathan still rides free) and wait for the next one to pull into the station. Excitement builds as the train unloads, then the conductor waves our line forward to board.

Nathan is somewhere between utter buzzing excitement and reverence for the Zoo Train. His eyes widen as he soaks in every microsecond of the experience. Once we've settled on a passenger car, we await the parting whistle.

The engine chugs, the cars jolt forward and the ride begins. In a matter of moments we're rolling at full speed, trees and grass flashing past our open train carriage, Nathan smiling a deep, satisfied smile. He's exactly where he wants to be at that very moment in time.

We wave at the people as we pass railroad crossings, laugh as we see other kids in cars ahead and behind as the train bends around the curve. Nathan lets out a giggle whenever the engine toots its whistle. This is 7 minutes of sheer perfection.

When the ride is complete, Nathan is completely content and satisfied. He never fights to stay onboard and never demands a second ride once we're done. Somehow he's found happiness in a single, perfect ride on the Zoo Train.

What a great lesson for me. How can I learn to be content and satisfied when joyful times come? Learning to accept, absorb and revel in those moments, without any thoughts of reviving the moment later or in vain attempts to recreate the moment by grasping for more.

Like my son, I must learn to live in the moments and embrace them for what they are. I desire to become fully satisfied — just like Nathan on the Zoo Train.

Technorati Tags: happiness, kids, simplicity

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July 31, 2005

Time, Stuff, Integration and Balance

It's been 11 days since I've posted to the weblog, and I have to say, I needed the break. Because of our yearly family vacation to Western Pennsylvania and the prep beforehand, I've taken a little blogging vacation, and it was good.

I've also felt a bit disconnected with the news and blogging world, even though I had the Powerbook along last week for emergencies, and the Zire with WiFi card for playing around. It was good to have these tools along, even if they received minimal use during the week.

I truly resisted any draw of the Mac on my time. Surprisingly, it wasn't difficult to walk away from the Powerbook, the web or the blog world. Even Lance's 7th Tour de France was virtually wrapped up before we headed Eastward. The week away from my normal routine has revealed how much energy I expend simply “keeping up” with the world around me.

Sometimes I wonder how much of the multiple bits of info I track is worth the energy. Web sites, RSS feeds, podcasts, books — all useful and informative, but also time consuming. Scanning my NetNewsWire RSS subscriptions just yesterday, I wondered why I've subscribed to so many, and have resolved to trim them down this week to a manageable, reasonable level.

In general I'm feeling more and more challenged on how I spend my time. As I've passed the 40 mark, each hour I spend doing something is seeming more precious. I was struck by a comment made about Lance and the Tour, how he must consider each stage and what level of effort he should give. Should he chase down every attacker? Should he aim to gain seconds in aggregate, or blow his reserves for a 5 minute lead on the top contenders, if it means losing 10 the next day because he's spent all of his energy?

In the same way, how should my time be spent to its best use? How am I spending time with God? My wife and young son? Family and friends? How valuable is time spent with them in relation to everything else I expend energy on? I think, as always, it's a matter of finding a balanced integration of time, while continually identifying and trimming away that which is not important.

I've also been challenged while away to consider all of the “stuff” I have (we have) cluttering our home. How much of it do I really need? How much of it do I actually use? This is particularly true with the aging hi-tech gear, gadgets and peripherals I have moldering in the corners. I think it is time to slim down the hoard. So, don't be surprised to see some things put on eBay announced here.

Seems this theme is a recurring one for me after coming home from Amish country, and a week away from the daily grind, which I'm glad for. If I didn't have a little time to reflect, then how else would I see my life more objectively?

Technorati Tags: simplicity

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July 7, 2005

London

I wanted to take a moment today to send my prayers warmest thoughts to British friends and residents after today's horrendous bombings in London. I first learned about the news from my Friend Randy over morning coffee, I'm now streaming BBC to keep up on what's happened and the details.

BBC News Coverage

I'm actually a bit worried at the moment, as my friend Andy is in London for a university field trip today — I'm hoping that he was not effected by the blasts, but I've not heard anything back from Andy just yet.

Update 9:15 AM CST: Andy is in London and OK. He responded to my friend Lo's SMS message a short while ago with this reply:

I am in London as I was scheduled to visit [...] Didn't happen as all pub transport was off. I'm fine but didn't achieve what I came to do. :-(

Good to hear Andy is OK, however there will likely be many who are not, and that is very disturbing.

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March 12, 2005

Clean Inboxes are Addicting

This week I've started re-reading David Allen's Getting Things Done this week. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through the book, yet I've found it very satisfying. I'm happy to report that for the first time in my memory, I had a completely empty work and personal email inbox on Friday after work.

Actually, I this is my first real 'reading' of GTD — in reality I'd only scanned the book the first time. After my initial scan, I took a few ideas and sort-of made use of them, but not fully. Last weekend I finally got to the point of feeling the need for something to help me better manage all that I had to get done. I saw GTD on my bookshelf and resolved to really read it this time. So I started reading again...

Wow!

While I've not fully sorted out the whole 43 folders idea just yet, nor have I completely integrated the principles David suggests. But rather than wait to complete the book, I decided to take one overarching idea away from my 2nd reading — to turn as many inputs as I could, into 'next action' tasks, then file those inputs for later reference (if needed).

I decided on Monday to first focus on email. I resolved to go through any open email in both my work and personal email clients and do one of 3 things:

1) Reply to the email. David Allen suggest that anything which takes 2 minutes or less can be dispatched immediately, so I followed this advice. I even dealt with some emails that took longer, just to trim down the list of unanswered emails.

2) Turn relevant info into next action tasks. I've recently switched from Palm Desktop to Apple iCal and really like the simplicity if offers. I created several new contextual categories suggested in GTD, and created many, many next actions. It really felt good to put those things into a solid place like iCal (synced to my Palm).

3) File processed emails. Finally I filed away emails I processed, and deleted or filed emails which really shouldn't have been there in the first place. It felt so good to see my email inbox shrink as the week progressed!

By the end of the day Friday, I had successfully emptied out both of my email inboxes. What a great feeling it is having an empty inbox! Even better was knowing that all of the latent tasks embedded in my emails had been turned into tasks in iCal.

Actually, using the GTD approach at work was very smooth, even though I know I've not yet got my head fully around all of the GTD principles. I felt productive and active without the nagging feeling that I was 'missing' something.

I'm looking forward to finishing the remaining 2/3 of GTD in the next few weeks, taking notes in my Moleskine notebook for books I've started as a result of Bren Connelly's How to Read a Business Book postings. I'm finding that taking notes with books really helps me crystalize the concepts and better ingest them.

So, if you've considered the Getting Things Done approach but haven't taken steps to give it a full try, I recommend it. Even taking some of the principles to heart could positively impact your stress levels and work style.

For an interesting interview with David Allen on the concepts behind Getting Things Done, check out Richard Giles' Gadgets Show Podcast (39 min @ 13.6 MB).

Have a great weekend!

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March 5, 2005

Just Do It!

It's a dark Saturday morning, and I'm up early to get ready for a conference. In my morning email, I read today's quote and it reminded of the power of doing things now, figuring things out as you go along.

Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along. — Napoleon Hill

This week I came to the realization being complete expert is not the requirement for doing things — rather it's by accepting and admitting my limitations that I'm able to make a step toward becoming an 'expert' in what I do.

There is something freeing about admitting to yourself and others "hey, here's where I am, I'm not perfect, but I want to learn and grow." I'm coming to see that this honesty with self and others takes the stumbling block of needing to "be an expert" out of my path, letting me become more of an expert.

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If you wait around for permission to "know" something before starting, you might never begin. Give yourself permission to start something you have no idea about, and the permission to become an expert in that thing, if you like.

Just do it!

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February 24, 2005

Just Good Business

While talking with my good friend Michael Ashby during lunch today, we came upon the topic of being a good business person. What was interesting about our chat was, how basic and simple those activities and habits seem to be.

What brought this to mind?

Well, I've entered a logo design contest recently, being voted upon by registered members of a community. As it turns out, the leading logo candidate may have been done with the use of a cookie-cutter logo from a logo-off-the-shelf website. I was amazed that someone would copy a logomark, verbatim, and try to pass it off as a unique submission!

This of course bodes well for my own, original submission (currently in 2nd position). But more importantly, it reminded me what some seem willing to do to win contests or projects — and conversely, what being a good, decent business person means.

From the chat Mike and I had, here are some of the things we see as just basic common sense ideas for good business:

Be human. I think this is really at the heart of the Cluetrain Manifesto. People are social creatures and want to connect to others, personally and professionally. Not everything need be about business 24/7. Besides, opening yourself as a human being provides a window into yourself that can encourage clients to relate to you and remain loyal.

Communicate. Do it often. Do it when things are going well and especially when things not going well. I follow the rule "contact the client before they contact you" in daily business life. That means being the first one to share good news or problems — especially problems. I'm the first to admit I fail sometimes, but I try to improve each day. It's a process that takes effort.

Be honest. Rather than trying to make yourself look good, be honest with those you are dealing with. I've found that telling things as they are has a credibility that can't be matched in any other way. It's also good for your soul and conscience. :-)

Share. If you see something your client might be interested in, let them know about it and why. If you think background on a decision you've made will give insight to the decision, share it. I like to offer detailed notes about every design I offer, because I can share the 'whys' with clients. I've found my notes not only defend my ideas, but often will resolve questions and issues which would have arisen had I not clarified my thinking. Sharing details also shows you are thinking and reasoning through your client's problem toward a solution.

Be generous. If you can give a little more than you've promised, it generates good vibes right from the start. It's been described as 'under-promise and over-deliver', but I like the term generosity better. Being generous might mean a little less short-term profit, but in the long term, it shows you have the client's interests at heart as well as your own, and breeds loyalty and appreciation. I love the story at Diva Marketing about Corner Grocery Store Relationships, which describes this as adding something special.

Deliver. If you say you'll do something, do it. If delivery is impossible, notify the client before the delivery date with an explanation and a new delivery date. I have a tendency to want to please clients, and tend to leave less time than I ought to. So I've been trying to set more realistic goals with a little margin allowing life to intervene. I'm still working on this aspect of my professional life — I suspect it will be another area I'll need to constantly strive to improve.

Be Nice. In this high-tech world of electronic communications, it's very easy to leave niceness out of our discussions. Why not be that person who adds a level of niceness to your communications? It could be the only sunshine in someone's lousy day. Be creative too! There's nothing like a thank you phone call or hand-written thank you to improve someone's attitude.

Listen to your gut. I've been much more aware of what my gut says in situations and have found it to be right more often than not. In fact, when I've made a mistake, I'll look back to key decisions and it often was the opposite or slightly off what my gut said I should do. Part of this approach is putting yourself in your client's place, to help determine what you'd like to have happen. The hard part is getting in the habit of asking yourself, "what does my gut say", then acting on it.

Be thankful. I can tell you that kind words really do make my day. I love receiving comments form people thankful for something I've done, because they remind me of the reasons why I do what I do. Therefore, by being the thankful one who shares thanks with a client, colleagues or even a competitor, I'm becoming the encourager. More than scoring points with someone, this is just the way I want to act, whether it gains me business leads or not. Thankfulness breeds thankfulness.

Now, I will claim no authority as a business guru. I'm just a regular guy who's trying to constantly learn from my experiences, to the benefit of my clients and my business sense. I'm certainly not perfect — I make mistakes all the time. But I think the real key is learning from mistakes, with a focus on improvement.

If you have ideas on what makes good business practice, please take a moment to add your voice in the comments. I'd truly love to learn more good ideas from others on this topic. If I like them, I'll add them to the list with a link to your site.

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February 14, 2005

The Cluetrain Manifesto: A Refresher

Last week I re-discovered The Cluetrain Manifesto. I read the book four or so years ago, when it first came out. At the time it was quite a mind-shift for me. In my view, Cluetrain encapsulated what I saw and sensed was changing in the world, having been heavily involved in the internet part of that world since the mid-90s.

Fast forward to last week, when I heard a podcasted discussion with Doc Searls, (one of the 4 writers of Cluetrain) on Cameron Reilly & Mick Stanic's G'Day World Podcast. Doc provided wonderful background to the book, even offering his regret at blogging narrowly missing a mention in the book.

Inspired by this discussion with Doc, I scrounged up the free online version of The Cluetrain Manifesto, turned it into an iSilo book for my Tungsten E and began re-reading.

Wow, I'd forgotten just how direct and clear the message of this book was. Back in '99 and even 5 years later. The message certainly seems insightful in retrospect.

From the introduction:

What if the real attraction of the Internet is not its cutting-edge bells and whistles, its jazzy interface or any of the advanced technology that underlies its pipes and wires? What if, instead, the attraction is an atavistic throwback to the prehistoric human fascination with telling tales? Five thousand years ago, the marketplace was the hub of civilization, a place to which traders returned from remote lands with exotic spices, silks, monkeys, parrots, jewels -- and fabulous stories.

In many ways, the Internet more resembles an ancient bazaar than it fits the business models companies try to impose upon it. Millions have flocked to the Net in an incredibly short time, not because it was user-friendly -- it wasn’t -- but because it seemed to offer some intangible quality long missing in action from modern life. In sharp contrast to the alienation wrought by homogenized broadcast media, sterilized mass "culture," and the enforced anonymity of bureaucratic organizations, the Internet connected people to each other and provided a space in which the human voice would be rapidly rediscovered.

Or the opening statements of chapter 1, Internet Apocalypso:

We die.

You will never hear those words spoken in a television ad. Yet this central fact of human existence colors our world and how we perceive ourselves within it.

"Life is too short," we say, and it is. Too short for office politics, for busywork and pointless paper chases, for jumping through hoops and covering our asses, for trying to please, to not offend, for constantly struggling to achieve some ever-receding definition of success. Too short as well for worrying whether we bought the right suit, the right breakfast cereal, the right laptop computer, the right brand of underarm deodorant.

Life is too short because we die. Alone with ourselves, we sometimes stop to wonder what's important, really. Our kids, our friends, our lovers, our losses? Things change and change is often painful. People get "downsized," move away, the old neighborhood isn't what it used to be. Children get sick, get better, get bored, get on our nerves. They grow up hearing news of a world more frightening than anything in ancient fairy tales. The wicked witch won't really push you into the oven, honey, but watch out for AK-47s at recess.

Pretty amazing to come right out and say it — we all die. Life is short. As I grow oder I realize my time gets more valuable. There is no time for messing around — no time for bad TV shows or lousy books, no time to waste instead of spending it with my family, or doing what I love to do: communicate, design, write, read, sketch, think.

I'll leave today with one more excerpt from the introduction:

But companies don't like us human. They leverage our longing for their own ends. If we feel inadequate, there's a product that will fill the hole, a bit of fetishistic magic that will make us complete. Perhaps a new car would do the trick. Maybe a trip to the Caribbean or that new CD or a nice shiny set of Ginsu steak knives. Anything, everything, just get more stuff. Our role is to consume.

Of course, the new car alone is not enough. It must be made to represent something larger. Much larger. The blonde draped over the hood looks so much better than the old lady bitching about the dishes. Surely she'd understand our secret needs. And if we showed up with her at the big golf game, wouldn't the guys be impressed! Yeah, gotta get one-a those babies. This isn't about sex, it's about power — the greatest bait there ever was to seduce the powerless.

Or take it one slice closer to the bone. Leverage care. For the cost of a jar of peanut butter, you can be a Great Mom, the kind every kid would love to have. You can look out on your happy kids playing in that perfect suburban backyard and breathe a little sigh of contentment that life's so good, with not a wicked witch in sight. Just like on television.

Now that gets right to the bottom of things, doesn't it? We're human beings — so much more than just consumers, designed to consume product or services. The question I ask myself is, why do I settle, at one time or another, for being treated this way?

Good question.

My suggestion: if you haven't read Cluetrain yet, do so. If you've already read Cluetrain, read it again as a good refresher.

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January 31, 2005

Why Robert Scoble Should Consider an Analog Journal

Robert Scoble (one of my regularly read, favorite bloggers) talked a bit about why he chooses not to use a Moleskine for managing his affairs with Getting Things Done (GTD).

Robert, I think you have excellent reasons behind your choice of the tools you've chosen. I'm quite certain they all work well in your own unique expression of GTD.

However, I'd like to suggest an analog journal and pen for your toolset. Here's why.

It's an Escape from Digital
First, I think a journal and pen can provide you with an escape from digital life. I've found my journals serve as an outlet through which I can step away from my pixelated world. Even if the escape is spent on a 20 minute sketch or capturing a passing thought, my analog moments help provide perspective outside of my daily tasks, actions and appointments.

I believe you might benefit from just a few hours away from the office with a journal, a nice pen, some good coffee and your thoughts. A few hours of separation from your hectic life might open your mind to different approaches to the same problems.

It's Relaxing
Secondly, writing with a good pen on quality paper is so relaxing. Whether I'm writing or sketching, I find my attitude changes when I'm using analog tools. I use a touchscreen with my Tungsten E, but it lacks the drag, the feel of ink drawing out, the texture. There really is something soothing in it, which I haven't been able to recreate digitally.

It's Riskier
Finally, knowing what I put down on paper is permanent plays into this sense — no undo. There's something risky about this idea, which seems to bring out clearer thinking in my work. Once I know that the next stroke can't be undone, my mind seems sharpened.

I believe in analog journaling and sketching, but I also understand each person must come to this decision on their own terms. Realizing the value of analog journaling and sketching took nearly a year for me — maybe you're not at that point, maybe you'll never be.

All I'm suggesting is that you consider the approach. I believe the use of an analog journal for big picture thinking — just 15-30 minutes per week — could provide a new way of generating ideas and capturing thoughts.

Okay, so I'm a little biased here, but I'm sincere.

Keep up the good work Robert! :-)

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January 8, 2005

Capabilities

Now these are some encouraging and challenging words for the new year:

"If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves."
— Thomas Edison

Quote via Teri Martin's Quote-A-Day email list

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November 18, 2004

Good Reads: The Hughtrain & How To Be Creative

Last weekend, quite by accident, I came across gapingvoid.com, the weblog of Hugh MacLeod. While browsing there, I stumbled on one of his posts entitled The Hughtrain, Hugh's own variation on the Cluetrain Manifesto (another incredible document well worth reading, if you haven't yet).

Next thing I know, an hour has passed while I read The Hughtrain, complete with laughing at his prose and cartoons, drawn on the backs of business cards. Hughtrain is fresh, unpretentious and challenging, particularly to the brain of this graphic and web designer. (Note for the younguns: Hughtrain contains some pretty strong language at times)

This evening, I stumbled across yet another thought provoking piece by Hugh at Change This, a website filled with manifestos from all sorts of leading edge people. I'd been to Change This a few months ago, but never noticed Hugh's How to Be Creative manifesto.

Once again, many minutes later, I found myself laughing at and appreciating Hugh's thoughts and proverbs. The guy really has a way with words and images. The How to Be Creative piece is an amalgam of 26 secrets Hugh has discovered in his years working as a creative guy, such as:

"I draw on the back of wee biz cards. Whatever.

Thereʼs no correlation between creativity and equipment ownership. None. Zilch. Nada.

Actually, as the artist gets more into his thing, and as he gets more successful, his number of tools tends to go down. He knows what works for him. Expending mental energy on stuff wastes time. Heʼs a man on a mission. Heʼs got a deadline. Heʼs got some rich client breathing down his neck. The last thing he wants is to spend 3 weeks learning how to use a router drill if he doesnʼt need to.

A fancy tool just gives the second-rater one more pillar to hide behind. Which is why there are so many hack writers with state-of-the-art laptops."

I love this approach, because it puts the focus on the person — the artist and not the tools. The right tool is of course part of the deal, but secondary to the artist. My father once put it this way:

"Mike, it's the photographer and not the camera which makes great images. If you give a great photographer a box camera and a bad photographer top of the line gear, the great photographer will still create the better and more artistic photo every single time."

I'll leave you with another insightful tidbit from How To Be Creative:

"The sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will.

How your own sovereignty inspires other people to find their own sovereignty, their own sense of freedom and possibility, will change the world far more than the the workʼs objective merits ever will.

Your idea doesnʼt have to be big. It just has to be yours alone. The more the idea is yours alone, the more freedom you have to do something really amazing.

The more amazing, the more people will click with your idea. The more people click with your idea, the more it will change the world.

Thatʼs what doodling on business cards taught me."

So, what are you waiting for? Go read The Hughtrain and How To Be Creative! :-)

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November 17, 2004

What's My Currency?

I enjoy reading Fast Company articles and this week I came across another good one called Finding Your Currency by Keith Ferrazzi.

The gist of the article is that we each have some "currency" or "currencies" related to our personalities that makes us each unique and valuable in our profession or life. It might even be something we don't realize we possess, yet is quite valuable to others. I found this interesting, because I'd never thought of skills or attributes as currency before.

A key quote from the article:

Often our most valuable currencies are things we do that seem as natural as breathing -- natural to us, but to others, these skills are a real rarity! If you know tax law, that's a currency to a lot of us. Can you get someone upgraded at the NY hotel that your brother manages? That's a currency too. Perhaps it's something else. No matter what it is, you can find it by simply thinking of what others can gain from you.

What an interesting approach. The article got me to wondering what my own currencies are. I have a vague idea, so I plan to take time this week to write them down.

However, what I thought might be more interesting — asking others what they see as my most valuable currencies. Maybe others have a different perspective which I might not be considering. In fact, why not ask the weblog readers? Do you have any thoughts on what you see as my currencies? Please feel free to leave a comment.

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November 9, 2004

A Challenge to Encouragement

Years ago, I and a small group of friends participated in a yearly bike ride called The Firehouse 50. The ride was, appropriately, 50 miles long, winding through the Chequamegon National Forest, just a stone throw from Lake Superior.

The Firehouse 50 isn't Tour de France level, but for a bunch of regular cyclists like myself and my friends, it was challenging. The ride begins on a slow grade upwards, which seems flat but in reality, is not flat. The course had one hill we'd dubbed “Killer Hill” which had to be approached after a 90 degree right turn following a stop sign. The middle of the race included a barrage of smaller hills through the forest, requiring constant shifting and changes in gearing to maintain a smooth cadence.

One year, at around the 45 mile point of my ride, I fell in with a pack of riders. Even though we had survived most of the course, and were riding on the most beautiful and comfortable rolling hills, I was feeling the hurt of the last 45 miles. Those last 5 ticks on my cyclometer were looming like another 50.

As we rode, I began to notice someone was a bit out of place in the pack. It was a rider who seemed like serious cyclist, yet he was staying back with us. Then I realized he was talking with an older gentleman next to him — maybe his father.

Ahead, we could all see a very large, long hill, and I could sense the pace dropping a bit. We were probably at the 47th or 48th mile, and I was starting to lose steam. It's difficult to describe how I felt then, because by all accounts I should have been ecstatic about finishing. I think the pack felt the same way.

Suddenly, the young Serious Cyclist, pedaling along with his dad started to cheer us on.

“C'mon guys! We have a few miles left and you can do it! Dig down and find the power left in those legs! You CAN DO IT!”

I perked up and began rising to the challenge he was calling out. I know, I know, seeing it written looks terribly cheesey, but at that moment, those were the perfect words for myself and our pack to hear. The pace increased, the entire group seemed to draw out strength we thought was gone. Somehow, we attacked the hill en masse!

Serious Cyclist wasn't about to quit either — he stayed with us those last few miles, calling out the challenge again and again...

“C'mon! You have it in you! Finish the race! Don't quit now! You CAN DO IT!”

The group kept churning, gaining power we didn't even know we had, just from the challenge and encouragement. At the last turn of the race, with 100 yards to go, he called out the final challenge to the group...

“Alright everyone, give it everything now! Leave nothing at the line! GO! GO! GO!”

With his last spurring on, we attacked the last corner into the town of Grandview, pumping out the last few feet of the race, rolling across the finish line. I don't know who else thanked our road coach, the Serious Cyclist, but I had to. I was so grateful for his encouraging words to our group, because I know that without him, we'd have surely limped across the line much later than we did.

Of course, I was completely wiped out physically, but even in this state, I felt incredible mentally. I'd managed to pull off a personal best that year of 2:38, and I'd learned something about the nature of encouragement at the same time.

First, I learned that encouragement can be an incredibly powerful thing, and that I and anyone else can make use of that power. We don't realize how powerful our words of encouragement can be to others. Often I hesitate, worried that I'm interrupting or I might look cheesey in the process. Usually though, my outgoing side wins and I say something anyway, cheesey or not, and I'm always happy I have.

Secondly, I learned I need encouragement, as much as I need to give it away. I'd always considered myself an “encourager” before this experience, but hadn't recognized my own need for encouragement. After experiencing the boost provided by the encouraging cyclist, I saw my own needs in this area more clearly.

I challenge you to consider encouraging someone today. Maybe it's just a compliment on someone's new shoes, or a kind word to the cranky cashier at the grocery store. I really don't care what it is. You can do it! :-)

Your power to brighten someone's day is right there, inside of you. Will you use it?

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October 4, 2004

The Big Four-Oh

Forty years, can you believe it? I can't.

Everyone seems to ask if 40 feels any different, and honestly, no, not really. I feel the very much same as I did at 39.

In fact, I feel better than I've felt in years, because my wife and I have been on the South Beach diet since mid-July. Since then, our eating habits have changed significantly, and we've both lost over 20 pounds in the process. Talk about rolling back the years — I'm now back to my weight nearly 8 years ago!

I feel great. My clothes are getting baggy. Further, we're eating better and are truly enjoying what we eat. Its wonderful to find myself thinking “I've had enough” or “I'll pass” when being faced with tempting food choices.

For a nice overview of South Beach, I'd recommend Michael Ashby's take on South Beach, from earlier this year. And to that point, I owe Michael an apology for teasing him about the South Beach diet — you were right Michael!

I digress. Better get back to the birthday theme...

Okay, so my 40th birthday really began on Friday. You see, I was tricked by my loving (and sneaky) wife Gail, into thinking we were to spend a quiet dinner with friends from church. Yeah right.

Instead, I was thoroughly surprised by a house full of good friends. Gail had planned and plotted since January to surprise me. Not only had she rounded up local friends, she'd contacted many of my international friends, gathering photos, post cards and other artifacts, to create a birthday scrapbook. Amazing!

Even more amazing, I nearly stumbled into uncovering her plot several times, but never caught a whiff of the conspiracy. This included seeing pics from my German friend, Matthias, sent strangely to Gail. I never had an inkling!

After greeting friends and viewing my 40th birthday scrapbook, the evening's international theme continued with the food. A variety of dishes, prepared by Gail, family and friends were served. Even the cake followed the theme, as it resembled an old suitcase, complete with travel stickers made of frosting. The food was delicious, and the cake was completely scrumptious. A good time was had by all.

My actual “birth” day, on Sunday, was much more laid back. The morning was spent at church, we had lunch with my parents, then we spent the rest of the afternoon at home, reading and relaxing. My good friend Andy called from England around 5, then we topped the night off with dinner at a favorite Thai restaurant. I thought it was quite a nice way to spend my birthday.

I received many cards and small gifts from friends over the weekend, but tonight, I received the best present of all — a new kitty. If you're not aware, we lost my first cat, Snickers, two years ago near Thanksgiving, and after that, I wasn't sure if I'd want another cat. I just needed a little time to heal.

In the interim, we've kitty-sat for a friend a few times, which reminded me of how nice it felt to have a kitty around the house. This, combined with Gail's subtle and often not-so-subtle suggestions, brought me to the point of considering a kitty of our own.

Last Friday afternoon, I confided in Gail that for my birthday, I wanted to adopt a kitty. she was excited, and so began our search to find a cat. Saturday we visited the local humane society, saw several nice cats, but arrived too late to even meet with a counselor.

Tonight, we visited a humane society in a small town north of the city, as they had accumulated quite a selection. Within minutes of being ushered into the kitty room, we had found the newest addition to the family.

Our new cat is a petite white and black female, about one year old. She has a wonderful, outgoing personality, yet was completely cool and undisturbed as Nathan stomped around the small room. Other cats in the room fled for safety, but not her. She even enjoyed Nathan's petting, never seeming ill at ease. This was a very good sign.

Her demeanor and voice reminded me immediately of Snickers, even though she was missing the carmel dashes of Snickers' calico coloring. The more time we spent with her, the more we realized she was The One.

We filled out the adoption paperwork and soon were rolling home on the freeway with a new kitty in a cardboard carrier, and a brand new scratching post. The only thing we don't have yet is a good name. Let us know if you have suggestions.

As I write, she's sleeping in our dining room, becoming acclimated to her new home. Sometime tomorrow evening, we'll let her explore the first floor. I'm quite confident she'll do well here.

What a great 40th birthday! :-)

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September 20, 2004

Surprised By a Diary

This weekend, my wife Gail and I celebrated our 5th year of marriage. We spent the weekend at The Pickwick Inn, a turn-of-the-century home, converted to a bed and breakfast. It was a wonderful getaway for us, and a bit of time away from our son Nathan. We enjoyed the time idling in a small town with a square, taking drives in the country, shopping, eating, riding a tandem bike, sipping coffee and generally enjoying each others' company.

One of the surprises of the weekend came in the form of a tiny diary that was on the dresser of the empty room across the hall from ours. Because we were the only ones at the inn all weekend, we decided to have a peek at the other empty rooms. We did this on Saturday evening, after dinner, when I happened upon a small burgundy book, about 1/3 the size of my Moleskine sketchbook.

Being a curious fellow, I picked up the book to have a look. I discovered that it was a diary, with each day of 1909 listed at the head its pages. On the pages were entries, some short and some long, scribbled with a fountain pen. I was utterly fascinated with this antique diary, so, I secretly brought the small book into our room for a closer look.

I showed the book to Gail, and she was curious to read and hear its entries. I began reading random pages, curious about whom this person from 1909 might be. I skipped around, trying to decipher the scribbled text. As we became more intrigued by the mystery, Gail took over reading the diary in the August section of the book. We were hooked.

As Gail read further, the life of a twenty year old working girl from the south side of Milwaukee, began to emerge. The unnamed woman shared thoughts about her working days, their joys and troubles. Many entries were simply "worked late" and one in particular noted sarcasticly, "the working life, ain't it grand!" She also described her family and social life in vivid detail. As we read, this woman became real to us, as she talked about dates with several interested gentlemen, which soon turned to her interest in a certain Jack and his chief rival, Ned.

We could sense by her own entries that Jack was quite the handsome guy and indeed the apple of her eye. It seemed as she told of her dates, that she was the apple of Jack's eye too. At one point near the end of the year, ol' Ned confronted our mysterious writer with a choice: pick him as her steady guy — yet she refused to be held down. During this same period in the fall of 1909, she talked of her interest in Jack with terms like "he's a peach" or "he's a cute kid" and "we've got it bad."

We learned that the trolley car system of Milwaukee was quite popular, as she recounted catching 'cars' all over town, and even to far flung outskirts like Delafield (about 30 miles west of the city). She often talked about seeing friends and acquaintances on the 'car' here or there. On other pages, she told how she barely made a car, or how some gent had "made eyes" or once, in the deep of November, how a suitor's car was delayed over an hour because of a blizzard.

I was surprised how relevant her life was to us both, even though she lived 95 years ago! I had the idea that Milwaukee in 1909 was a dirt-street frontier town full of sweatshops, but the picture which unfolded before our ears was that of a cosmopolitan city, bustling with life and action. I further had the idea that the life of a working woman 95 years ago might have been one of 15 hour days and drudgery in a factory, yet found this mystery woman talking about her very lively social and family life.

I suspect she was middle or upper middle class, because of her work, her many nights out, movie experiences and trolley trips all over town. I suppose her many boyfriends might have been reasonably well off or working young men, in order to afford all of the dates. Still, it was refreshing to have my ideas of 95 years ago challenged a bit, all by a little burgundy diary.

As the night passed, Gail read and read, going over nearly every page until the end of the book. Then she started out at January 1st and worked her way back to mid August. By the time we finished recounting the diary's pages it was well past midnight, with only a short one hour ice cream break between our start after dinner and before the midnight hour. I told you we were hooked! :-)

As Gail and I talked about the diary, we shared several observations with each other. First was the surprise that a young woman in 1909 could lead such an exciting life. But secondly, and more importantly was the idea that a little book, which this woman wrote could survive nearly 100 years, to be read by a couple on their 5th anniversary.

This thought challenged us both to work harder at recording our own lives in diaries and photo/scrap books. We were challenged to record what our son Nathan does each day, to shoot photos and video, because we too wanted to leave a legacy to Nathan and his children's children. If we're lucky, maybe others might stumble across our written and recorded accounts of life at the turn of our own century.

For more postcard images of Milwaukee, check out the Penny Postcards from Milwaukee County gallery at Rootsweb.com

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August 30, 2004

If We Listened to Our Intellect...

”If we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. We'd never have a friendship. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.“

— Ray Bradbury

(via Teri Martin's excellent daily Quote Mailing List)

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August 2, 2004

Post Vacation Observations

Our family had a very nice vacation break last week, driving to Western Pennsylvania (New Wilmington to be exact) for our yearly New Wilmington Missionary Conference experience. My wife has been a conference attendee the conference over 20 years, my own attendance is now at 6 years.

As usual, It was refreshing and relaxing and provided some time away from the daily grind to think about things I might not normally consider. So, what follows is a collection of random thoughts which percolated to the surface last week mixed in with thoughts about the weblog redesign, etc.

Disconnection Feels Good
While I carried along a laptop, mobile phone and PDA, I found myself enjoying freedom from those devices very much. I checked emails only once per day and for several days didn't check at all, leaving the laptop idle in my bag.

The only broadband connection occurred via free WiFi, at new little local cafe in town called Mugsies, where I could grab and send email or surf the web for free, while enjoying a coffee. Even then, laptop use at Mugsies was quite limited — I found it handy, but in no way was I interested in sitting for hours on the web. I liked having the option, but had no interest in what I do every week day, back home.

Of all things, I happened to forget the charger for my mobile phone, which meant it stayed off and in our room most of the week, though I did find even at low battery level, I could make calls in an emergency.

The Tungsten E became a reading tool for some weblogs and Le Tour sites I like to grab via iSilo. Again, since the laptop was mainly parked in my bag, using the TE for reading only happened a few evenings during the week.

I was pleased with my limited use of technology — it was freeing to not feel compelled to be online all the time. I was able to maintain touch if I wanted, but in the end, chose mainly to remain disconnected. Maybe the Amish, who live around New Wilmington had some subconscious effect on me.

The Grapes of Wrath
Besides spending time with my family and conference friends, I took time to continue reading The Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck's novel is quite a good read, though I admit it took time to settle into his written version of 'Okie' slang that the Joad family speak in.

I'd started the book in the spring and lost track of it following PalmSource DevCon 2004, only to find it prior to our vacation. I was pleased to get back into the book again, finding the story interesting, shocking and challenging.

In a nutshell, the Joad family is uprooted by landowners on their Oklahoma farm, and are forced to migrate to California in hope of work and a life there. The Grapes of Wrath chronicles their story and of other migrants flowing to the West in the 1930s in search of a new life. I'm now nearly done, and can't wait to see the end of the story. One could safely say, I'm liking this book.

If you haven't read the book yet, or were forced to in school, I can highly recommend it. The story offers readers a great opportunity to experience first hand what hard times, forced travel and the migrant life might have been like, while displaying what dignity, kindness and being a human being is about.

Road Trips
I've discovered again that I really enjoy road trips. I dislike all of the preparation for a road trip (either direction), but once I'm on the road, I'm happy to drive, as long as good coffee, good tunes or a book on tape is there.

We listened to music and books, but most impressive was Thomas Cahill's How The Irish Saved Civilization. I was amazed to learn about the ancient world and how the Irish made copies of important documents just prior to the dark ages of Europe. Who knows where these documents might be if not for them. Not surprisingly, this little book revived interest in ancient Rome, St. Augustin and St. Patrick, because of their roles in history.

Unfortunately, it also saddened me to realize how much of the ancient world's literature was lost over the centuries, in spite of the Irish and their work.

Finally, road trips make hospitality shine like a jewel when it's encountered. I was encouraged, feeling the friendliness of strangers traveling with us. In one case, a man pointed out my accidentally dropped wallet at a rest stop, in another, I had a nice chat with a woman walking small puppy that my son wanted to pet, about kids and animals.

I think the largest example of road hospitality was that of my brother Steve and his family (Janet and Max), who offered to have us stay the night at their house after 8 hours on the road from PA. We'd only intended a short stay, but resting seemed a better option. We were treated to generous hospitality, and fun time together. It reminded me how nice a safe place for a traveler is, and challenged me to be ready to offer hospitality when the opportunity rises at our house.

Rohdesign Redesign
My last item is the redesign of my site, which happily had no progress over vacation. I'm now excited about completing the process, building the site and learning as I go along. I plan to have a detailed update at the end of the week.

Thanks to everyone who's stopped by to visit. I will be back in the swing of regular blogging once the redesign is posted... soon. :-)

Have a great week everyone!

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May 21, 2004

Fashion Observations

On Thursday morning at the cafe, I spent time sketching, reading, writing and observing customers stopping for their morning cup-o-joe.

As I sat drinking my own coffee, I observed two gentlemen on the extreme opposite ends of the fashion spectrum — one straight out of GQ magazine and the other a candidate for What Not to Wear magazine, if such a magazine exists.

Mr. GQ
Here was a youngish guy, probably late 20s or early 30s. His hair had been carefully styled to appear as though it was a little greasy and pillow-matted. Sprouts of hair shot out from all directions, like lawn weeds. He wore Buddy Holly black-rimmed glasses, freshly pressed (or chemically saturated) wrinkle-free shirt, un-tucked from a pair of stylin' gray leisure slacks. Heavy, rubber-soled black oxfords completed Mr. GQ's look.

What I found amusing about this high-fashion look was the effort and energy spent on looking as though he'd rolled out of bed, and in his haste to get coffee and off to work, forgot to take a shower and tuck in his shirt tails. There was something about the idea of working hard to look messy that seemed very ironic.

Mr. Blue Shoes
Now, at the other end of of the fashion scale was Mr. Blue Shoes, an older gentleman with nicely combed and clean gray hair, an olive and white-striped, tucked-in polo shirt, light tan slacks, white socks and blue leatherette loafers! I couldn't quite work out the blue shoes. Maybe they're his favorite, most comfortable shoes, which he wears with everything (probably to the groans of his fashion conscious wife).

I respected Mr. Blue Shoes for at least dressing comfortably — without too much thought for fashion. Nothing he wore matched, for which the Fashion Police would have gladly ticketed him. At least he was at least true to himself and his favorite blue shoes. I could respect that, since I too have a pair of well-loved and beat up leather oxfords with gum-soled soles cracked to the point of separation.

Maybe I'm getting old and crusty. After all, isn't that what happens? Old men are the ones who chuckle at fashion that causes other, much hipper grown men to spend hours in front of mirrors to appear as though they've just rolled out of bed the third morning in a row? :-)

Have a great weekend!

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May 19, 2004

Comparing Realities

Just finished watching the Colonial House on PBS tonight, which is a very interesting show. The premise of the show is to send many (13-24) diverse volunteers off to live on a 1,000 acre plot in remote New England, to see what 17th century colony life might have been like.

My wife and I have actually watched similar shows over the years: 1800 House (A family lives in an 1800s London House for a summer) and Frontier House (A group of settlers live on the American frontier for a summer).

In each case, seeing life in pseudo-historic settings tend to make me thankful for the niceties I enjoy, and point out some of the things we've lost in our modern lives and how in many ways we have become soft compared to our ancestors due to our culture and technology.

Colonial House was no exception, as I quickly saw that it's virtually impossible for 21st century people to truly live as if it were the 17th century. All sorts of contentions arose in the second episode of the show, because all of the participants brought a 21st century approach to 17th century living.

Now, I'm not saying 21st century is bad — rather, I came to see that a person having lived a life in our modern world can never completely understand life back then.

This hadn't fully hit me until tonight, watching Colonial House — that as much as the participants try to recreate a life from back then, they will only know portions of that life, because in the end, they know they will eventually go back to their real lives. Nobody is held there by anything but their own choice and honor.

So, in some ways we can see what life then might have been like and this is a good thing. Knowing where we've come from is very valuable. But as with many things, there are experiences or knowledge of that life lost forever to us. It's unfortunate, but that's just the reality of the situation I suppose.

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April 27, 2004

Cycling Season is Almost Here...

I can feel it coming. Cycling season is coming closer by the day. It's a matter of hours now.

I love the feeling of warmer weather, sunny skies and long rides on fresh blacktop. I can't wait to feel the warm wind gushing over my face as I descend off of a long hill, hearing the bearings race, the tire hum on the road, the flash of greenery around me and the roar in my ears as I cruise, completely still... down, down, down...

I want to experience the jolt of adrenaline, when my biking buddy leaps past me and I jump on the pedals to haul him back in. Hearing my friend challenging me to catch him and the laughs and back slaps when I do.

I'm waiting for the satisfaction I feel after climbing a killer hill, fighting the incline with every muscle. Pounding down to the the last gear on my ring, then, when I know I'm at the last gear, pounding the bike, myself and the road, fighting and pushing for the crest of the hill.

Most of all, I want to feel the morning greet me. The cool misty air waiting to embrace me. Feeling myself almost cutting through the thick morning air, like knife. Crisp, yellow-orange mornings where the day is waiting to greet me as I wheel out onto the road.

Cycling season is so close now... I can feel it coming.

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April 23, 2004

TV, VCRs and TiVos

Lately my wife and I have been watching much less TV, and I think that's a good thing.

We still have 2 or 3 favorite shows we watch weekly, but more often than not, we're taping and watching them at our own leisure. Gail's brother supplies us with tapes of DIY (Do It Yourself) shows he tapes from his more-featured cable channel selection — we enjoy all of these shows as well.

Oddly enough, after getting used to VCR'ed shows, watching shows live is now frustrating, as I constantly want to fast forward through commercials. I can imagine TiVo owners are driven equally nutty when watching live TV. :-)

Funny thing is, I think we probably watch much less TV than the average family. In fact, Im sensing that we're reducing the shows we watch now, like cutting ER from our regularly watched shows. It just seems tired, jumping to sensationalism to generate buzz and offer something new. Borrr-ing.

It's been a slow process, but just this week I've realized how much we've changed in just the last few years.

Over the last few weeks, we had spent several evenings cleaning up our basement for a youth party we had here at the house. The results of that change in our lives surprised me in a couple of ways that directly relate to our change in TV watching habits:

First, I was surprised how much we could get done in an evening, even including distractions, such as stopping work to sit and check out something interesting in a box we'd just opened. Our basement has never looked so good in such a short amount of time.

Now, we did have a deadline for the party and probably stayed up later than usual, but even if we'd spent the "traditional" prime TV time leisurely going through stuff, cleaning and so on, we would still get quite a bit done. This seems so simple, but until I saw it by doing it, I had no clue. This realization brought home to me just how much time could be wasted watching the tube.

Secondly, I realized how much fun it was to spend time with my wife even doing menial tasks like clearing out boxes, cleaning and reorganizing things. And, after our basement was cleared up, we even took time to play dart games on the electro-dart board that finally was hung up. It was quite fun in fact.

This is encouraging, because I can see how time after dinner can be used so much more wisely. We can spend time playing with Nathan, or take a walk as a family, or choose some area of the house to clean up / organize, or play a game of darts, or watch a film, or, or...

This seems so common sense now, but often once we would sit down to watch a show, it was so easy to keep watching... and I think this is the sucking action of the TV. It discourages doing things and in many ways encourages inactivity. For us it took a VCR and taped shows watched as we saw fit, to realize this clearly. For others maybe it's a TiVo unit.

Now, I think TiVo is cool. However, for me, that much storage would entice me to spend time watching 40 hours worth of shows on the drive. I even recall stories of TiVo users stressing about all the shows yet unwatched and which if any they should delete first. Now, this is an extreme situation, but it does illustrate my point.

I kind of like the idea of tapes, because they are just hard enough. Recording can be automated so it can be done while I am doing other things, yet I have to remember to prepare and setup tape recording. The space of a tape is limited, so I can't tape too much, unless I am willing to swap tapes in and out. And finally, that show I want to see must be important to me to go through a little trouble to record it.

I don't want to watch much TV, so in this way a TiVo would actually go against my purposes. 40 hours of automated taping to me seems like it would lead right back to watching too much TV, even if they are shows I'd enjoy.

Maybe that makes me an oddball (who wouldn't want a TiVo?) but at least I have some sorta reasoning behind my decision. I think TiVo is a great tool, but at least right now, it's not right for us if our goal is to limit our TV watching. We want to encourage other activities, so crusty old VCR tapes work perfectly.

Anyway, I'm not sure where this post came from or what benefit it might have besides getting lots of comments from angry, torch-bearing TiVo lovers... but there it is. :-)

Hey, have a great weekend everyone!

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April 22, 2004

Tasting Kenya in My Coffee

In my morning coffee I imagine the taste of Kenya. It is a rich, smokey flavor, the primal essence of brown as seen in my minds eye. As I sip, I can see the sun baking the ground, wind sweeping it clean. Red coffee beans absorb the sun, just like millions of red beans before them.

Picked by hand, they now rest in baskets, in a shaded stall. The noise of the market surrounds them. Voices of shoppers and buyers, children, donkeys, birds, all echoing through stall after stall, absorbed by the beans.

Sealed and dark, they make their way across the ocean. Now the bright crimson beans are roasted until they resemble the same brown of the earth they drew their flavor from. Flavor is compressed and concentrated. The beans carry the magnified flavors of Kenya, the bright sunlight and rich brown soil, all sealed up inside.

This warm brown of coffee is here in front of me, but is not from here. It's a flavor from the distant place I can only imagine, as the coffee swirls in my mouth, starting the day.

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April 8, 2004

Spring Morning

The sky to the west is an even-tempered gray, with wispy clouds racing eastward toward a muddy sunrise. Like a wet oil painting, pinks and oranges merge with gray, separating the warm morning glow from the twilight's fading monotone. The warmth is winning — slowly, steadily the yellow glow of sunrise, changing gray into gray-blue and then to crisp, pure blue.

The smell is different this morning. The air has lost its dry bite. It's almost a pre-spring scent, not yet as rich as air after a spring rain, but still fresher than the stale winter air.

I walk briskly, not to shorten my exposure to the chill, but to feel the pleasantly cool spring air on my face. I breathe deeply to take in the morning flavor, while my eyes gravitate to the warmth of the sunrise.

Green grass catches my eye, reminding me of the icy crystals that were there just a month ago. The crystals have indeed transformed into green blades of grass and rich, dark soil.

Debris blanketed by the winter snow and ice is now exposed to the world. A piece of battered, gray styrofoam, a flattened, blackened orange peel, a brown flaky leaf. They all await the street cleaner's wet brushes.

At the cafe, the normal bustle persists, just like any winter day, but there is a subtle difference today. Groups of pewter outdoor seating are clustered together, claiming the sidewalk outside my window. Nobody dares to sit in them... no, the air still a bit too cool for this. But they sit and they wait, knowing that inevitably a warm spring day will come and when they will serve their purposes.

The pewter chair community signals the fade of winter. Winter has served its term and has now packed its bags. The door closes behind it, even as spring unpacks and settles in.

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March 9, 2004

The Vital Luxury of Rest and Solitude

This weekend at a youth leader's conference, I was challenged with this question: do I set aside time for rest and particularly, solitude? I had to answer not nearly enough.

The culture I live in places high value on being busy — often busy to the point of nearly breaking. We like to believe our energy is limitless; that we can do everything we want in life. Who needs rest? No time for that. Rest is for retirees. How false. We do have limits. Yes, I can do quite a bit with the energy I'm allotted, but not as much as I imagine or wish.

The mantra of the culture around me is: more is better. But what if, in fact, less is better? Would it not be better to focus my energy on fewer things which I truly love and have a passion for? Would it not be better to include rest and solitude as part of that list so I can sustain my energy expenditure on the things I love?

I believe my energy output is directly linked to the amount of rest I build into my schedule. In fact, I am starting to see that the busier I am, the more protective I need to be about rest. Sleep is one part of this, but I'm thinking more along the lines of resting mentally. Social time spent with friends and family, but even more importantly for my mental well being is time alone, to reflect, ponder and think.

This quote, taken from one of the handouts this weekend, captures how busyness steals away energy and chokes out time for solitude and reflection:

"The press of busyness is like a charm, its power swells... it reaches out, seeking always to lay hold of ever younger victims so that childhood or youth are scarely allowed the quiet and the retirement in which the Eternal may unfold a divine growth." -- Soren Kierkegaard

Solitude? Now there's something I don't currently get much of. I'm too busy filling my time doing things, being places, staying connected to the net and living life with music or television playing in the background. I am surrounded by constant noise and distractions which demand my attention and energy. They deplete me.

It's this environment in which solitude seems like a precious, almost wasteful commodity. To enjoy solitude feels lavish, expensive and impractical in a world of go-go-go! My busy self scolds me with comments like "How can you dare take time to think and contemplate when there's so much to do?" or "Hey slacker, there's no time for this! Back to busyness!"

Just think about it. How often do you have time to just take a walk alone to reflect on your thoughts, on life, on God? Have you ever just stopped to listen... to hear the things you normally filter out? Does taking an entire hour to be quiet, with no phones ringing, no email arriving, no IMs pinging, no music playing, and no TV droning scare you?

So, I reject the idea that solitude and rest are luxuries I can't afford. Really, they are requirements I cannot afford to miss. My culture demands that I maintain busyness to an insane degree. I reject that notion, along with the idea that I must do more and more.

It's time to refocus and put my energy into what I value most. To set aside regular times of rest and solitude for recharge and reflection. Will you join me?

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February 26, 2004

Foggy Morning

This morning I'm a visitor on another planet, one that's identical to my own, except for the fog. Fog breaks the light and forces it in directions it hadn't intended going. The fog brushes my face as I walk, subtly cool and wet. Fog is there, touching me, but try as I might, I cannot grasp it. Always just beyond reach.

Ice floes line the edges of the street, frozen so quickly last night that it almost looks like clear, unfrozen water. I have to step on it to make sure it's really ice. Snow turns to dirty crystals on the grass, the fluffiness and whiteness lost weeks ago. Soon those crystals will melt, nourishing the green grass.

Now I cross the street on my alternate planet. A Travis tune plays in my ears, sealing out the deadness of the foggy morning. Being sealed away from the world while walking in to the beat of a good tune, often gives me the sense I'm walking inside a film. A rhythm driven, 360 degree film experience for one.

I pass frosted scrubby bushes and mulch outside the café. The frost is so perfectly formed, I can almost imagine an army of alien nanobots spraying frost on everything, hurrying to finish before daylight breaks. They must be using incredibly tiny airbrushes.

Then I arrive at the café door. Yellow light cuts the fog at the doorway as I enter. I'm at a small space port on my planet, airlock sealed from the fog. Now I can see my foreign world through a large glass barrier. The buildings I rely on are lost in the fog. I'm pretty sure they're still there, but until I walk back home I can't be sure.

Maybe this is how it felt to believe in a flat earth... as far as I know, the world ends at the edge of the fog.

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January 27, 2004

Observations on Analog Journaling & Sketching

The past weekend and last few days have got me thinking about my recently acquired pen-based habits, such as starting a diary and sketching. I've gone on here about both of these, focusing a little attention on my desire to process daily input by keeping a personal journal and then later, my affinity for Moleskine notebooks to sketch in.

I mention this now, because some weblog comments and emails I've received over the past few weeks have got me to thinking. Just what has caused me to keep a regular journal and sketch book after years of not doing either? Further, why have I chosen analog approaches over digital ones for this verbal and visual expression?

Well, there are many reasons. I think as a creative person, creativity you have inside has this way of finding its way out, one way or another. You think that you're not creative? Nope, you really are. So, maybe you're not an artist who sketches or even a writer... some way or another I believe we are all creative, each in our own ways and we find ways to express that.

Over the past few years I've expressed creativity through my Palm Tipsheet newsletter, which I sold early in 2003. I moved to blogging and have found it a very enjoyable and expressive avenue for my thinking and creativity. The Tipsheet was great, but so rigid. It had to be related to Palms and PDAs or it was off topic. There was so much editing and research. It was stressful. On the other hand, blogging opened a door for me compared to technical writing, because I was "allowed" to explore many other areas of interest: design, film, books, technology, writing travel stories and expressing memories and even Palm OS and PDA stuff.

About two weeks after I'd switched from the Tipsheet to blogging, my work colleague Matt said something like "Mike, you're writing way more in a week of blogging than you ever did in a monthly Tipsheet!" I had to laugh, then I mentioned something like what I said above: that blogging is freeing in its variety, which allows me to write magnitudes more than I had been while feeling no stress to post. Somehow the posts here just seem to come out, nearly every day. Don't ask me how. :-)

So, I do feel that blogging has played an important role in this decision, because it has me writing more often than ever and in a freeing way. Blogging also affirmed that "yes Mike, you can maintain a daily record of your thoughts." This was big, because I had always felt unable to maintain a written diary. I'd tried it before, but it would always fade away after a short time. Seeing that I could maintain a regular weblog (for almost a year now) encouraged my decision to try an analog diary -- and while it's still only about a month, I now look forward to penning my thoughts each night as a luxury and a joy.

Sketching came about the same way though with some different "bumps" to get me where I am now. Some of it was seeing Witold Riedel's wonderful sketches, some was the natural flow of moving from words to images and some of it has been my contemplation about why I've felt a little creatively dry the past few years. All of those things sparked my memory of joyful sketching in college, which I wanted back. And it was really so easy -- just start sketching! Of course I had to shake the rust off (and its still flaking away), but again, the more I sketch, the more I want to sketch. It's something of a feedback loop I imagine.

Alright, so why did a very tech oriented guy like me turn to analog means for writing and sketching? Keeping a digital journal certainly has some real benefits. My typing is reasonably fast, and I'm proficient at Graffiti writing on the Palm. Further, anything I would write could be searchable and portable, especially if I used an excellent tool like DayNotez.

There are a few reasons why I decided to go analog. First, growing up with pens, pencils and paper, I really enjoy the feeling of ink on paper. The other day I wrote a little note with my old Shaeffer fountain pen and marveled at how nice it felt. There is something about the tactile feel of paper drag and ink flow that's just pleasurable.

I also like the idea that what I write is permanent. Sure, I can scratch over something but it will always be at least a blob or scratched out word. Digital letters can be edited and perfected... magically erased. Undo. Command-Z please. There is something about not being able to edit, tweak and perfect in my personal journal that I like. It forces me to just stop worrying about editing so that I just write. It's stream of consciousness, whatever is on my mind writing there -- I like this idea.

The idea of getting away from keyboards and touch screens is part of this for me... having a little break from technology is refreshing and makes going back to tech more fun when I come back. In this way, being analog is attractive after a day in the digital world and the analog time then refreshes me for another day being digital. Maybe it's a symbiotic thing.

As for sketching, well, there's still not much out there that can recreate the feeling of an analog sketch. Styluses and tablets for the Mac seem nice, but still a bit artificial. And the Palm... well, it has its charm and unique pixelated qualities, but again something is just lacking in stylus sketching on a touch screen.

In the end, I'm quite pleased with how my analog journaling and sketching is going. It's provided a new outlet that seems to be regenerating my creativity at weblogging and at my web and graphic design day job.

As for books and media, I'm very much sold on Moleskines (as anyone stopping here in the last few weeks can tell). Today, with part of the money from the sale of my Sony Clie N610C I bought a Moleskine gridded book for ideas. I did this because and "Idea" book offers a place to store concepts. Things that are not journaling but are also not quite sketches. Journaling was stream of consciousness, sketching was observation and expression, so I felt the final gap was a place to store written and drawn ideas and concepts.

So, we'll see how this comes along. Maybe in a few months I'll provide an update and share how my multi-journaling is effecting me personally and professionally.

Hopefully this dialogue of mine about journaling and sketching (and letting yourself be creative) will encourage others to try it for themselves. I think that's the beauty of the Internet... that we all provide little "bumps" for each other and can have effects on those we may not know or even every speak to. Pretty cool.

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January 13, 2004

A Day Downtown

I love going downtown. It's my mother's doing, and it was started as a kid living in Chicago. Now there's something special about going downtown for me. Going downtown evokes fond memories of trains, traffic and the joy of traveling.

On downtown days, mom would dress my brother and I appropriately for the season and would allow each of us to select one small, portable toy as luggage. I still recall a cool miniature car I had, which came complete with a belt holster. Oddly enough, I can't recall that car in much detail now, as though the name and clear image have been smudged a bit by time.

Once mom had us outfitted, we headed eastbound, down Howard avenue in our VW bus, toward the EL station. EL is short for Elevated. We'd park the bus and walk to the ticket booth to pay our fares for entry. The ticket booth seemed like the very edge of downtown -- as if the heart of the city reached north on the EL line, to claim this station it as its own. Up we went to the platform, awaiting our southbound train heading downtown.

The EL is famous in Chicago, and yet is probably taken for granted, just like the subway in New York City probably is. However, when you're away from the EL and come back to experience it, you notice. I've always loved the sound of the EL: the clattering of metal wheels on track, fizzing of electrical sparks from the third rail, the whoosh of air you hear and feel as the train passes, the hydraulic whine of car doors opening as the EL invites you in.

Now we're moving south, downtown-bound as we wind our way between apartments, behind warehouses, looking down into leafy neighborhoods at other kids who don't even hear us or see us passing by. They have no idea that two kids are watching them play catch from the high perch of the tracks. EL cars hum nicely as we accelerate between stops, beating rhythmically on the well-worn tracks.

Suddenly we descend, the bright light of day blotted out by the darkness of the underground tunnel ahead. Momentarily, the entire car is dark and all that can be heard are the wheels keeping time on the track, amplified to a roar by the tunnel walls. Fluorescent lights in the car flicker to life, my eyes slowly adjust to the lower level of light. I can now see green lights ahead in the tunnel, then the lights of an oncoming EL train ahead. The other train passes, followed by a rushing wind, and I can see the blurry ghost images of riders heading North.

We pass station after station. The eerie glow of white station tiling appears suddenly out of the darkness. We stop for some stations, while other stations pass quickly, blurring the passengers awaiting trains on the platform. Soon we arrive at our station and we exit, climbing cement-lined staircases into the bright sunlight of downtown.

The sounds are much different here, many more car horns, thousands of shoes hitting pavement, and a background hum of wind echoing off tall buildings. These sounds blend into a hum that's soothing. I'm downtown and loving every minute of it.

Mom has plans, and of course, we boys don't have much choice in the matter. But that's just fine, since we're having a great time just being downtown, carrying our small artifacts from home. The time we spend downtown is a blur. Shopping in this store or that, maybe lunch at McDonalds. Sometimes we'd get lucky and stop in the toy section for a few moments to hope and dream about a birthday or Christmas gift.

When I look back, I can't recall what mom ever bought on these trips. Our family didn't have alot of money, so it could have been that mom just enjoyed being downtown, shopping, walking, absorbing the hum, riding the EL train, just like her boys did.

Hmmm. Funny that I never considered that until now.

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