Archive for September, 2005
Redirect
Starting Sunday, September 18th, I’ve moved my underlying blog host from blogger to SUPERSIZED.org. I did it because I liked the templates, the added abilities to change things, and for something new.
If you are reading this via RSS, you’ll want to redirect. First, check out http://chrisbrogan.supersized.org/ , and you’ll see the different ways you can subscribe again for the RSS feeder of your choice.
I’ve also relaunched my fitness, nutrition, and running efforts.
Rules Engines
Disregard this post. It’s only for me:
http://www.theserverside.com/articles/article.tss?l=RuleBasedMDB
http://herzberg.ca.sandia.gov/jess/index.shtml
http://sourceforge.net/projects/jxbre/
http://java-source.net/open-source/rule-engines
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/rule.html
http://www.fawcette.com/javapro/2003_08/online/xml_yboglaev_08_01_03/
http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-04-2005/jw-0425-ruleengine.html
http://www.bookpool.com/sm/1558609180
http://www.gensym.com/?p=what_it_is_g2
http://www.manageability.org/blog/stuff/rule_engines/view
Need Books?
If you are looking for a book, this site is pretty much the google for books:
Pretty cool. When I get better with Greasemonkey, I think I’ll link these guys to my library website.
Gymmy gym gym
Everyone at the gym says hello.
I did a big fat blast of heavy rowing exercises and related chest press exercises. I did some weighted squats and some other leg exercises (presses, curls, extensions). In short, I did a full body workout of doom. Oh yeah, that included some core work on my abs and lower back.
I only missed cardio. I have until bedtime to sneak that in. The sooner the better.
I’m working on my 3 month plans around home, personal, and work. This feels really good.
Are you well?
A Little Hike
I took off this morning promising myself only a brisk walk. (I did strap on my running shoes, just in case). When I went by the long drive that leads to the lake, I recalled there’d been a plan to connect the lake path to some kind of hiking trail. So, I checked it out.
Next thing you know, I’m hiking this really steep trail. It’s the tallest hill in my town, which is a very hilly town. It was great! A nice wooded trail, surrounded by beech and maples, a few errant pines, and a winding path upwards to a big grassy meadow. This meadow, by the way, is the same place I saw a half dozen deer one morning on a bike ride.
Well, then I had to descend the very steep hill, and I went via the street that climbs the other side opposite the wooded trail. I felt my body wanting to tilt down, to launch into a downhill run. What the hell, I decided. And I was off.
What I love most about downhill running is the way it’s so reckless and close to wiping out. It’s not like downhill biking (which scares me), because I still feel slightly in control. But it’s such a rush. What a way to beat the tar out of your quads. And in my case, my ITBs and ass muscles.
So, it turned into a really sweet little experience, and one that I intend to repeat soon.
Reflections
No, not the kind of deep and meaningful views into one’s life. The kind in the mirror. I sat at lunch today across from the most physically active person I know. I saw my reflection in the glass behind her head. For several hours, I saw me reflected and her in the flesh.
It might have been motivation enough.
(But I’m not a big fan of myself right now, so we’ll see.)
The chiropracter (sp?) said to me tonight that I had to do something to relieve my stress, to let it go. He said that I was really carrying a lot in my body, and that would only lead to breakdown. That was sobering. He said the only difference between me and someone really successful and famous was that they knew how to let out their stress, and I was keeping mine in.
My boss paid me an incredibly humbling compliment. He was talking about my future aspirations, and told me that I’d aimed way too low. He saw much more potential. Sometimes, it’s when someone else sees something in you that really sparks something in yourself.
My daughter and I played a lot today when I came home. We ran and ran, and did lots of great games. We did her puzzles a few times. We fell alseep together, curled up in a twisty knot in the big bed, my chest against her back. I felt her fall asleep. When I got her settled into her own bed, I went to slip a “just in case” diaper on her, and she said, ‘No, I’m a big girl, and big girls don’t use diapers.’ Well, okay. : )
Today, I was at an offsite event with my former team. We did indoor go karting up in Southern Maine. They were the fast type, that go up to 40 miles an hour. In the qualifier, I made pole position. I did horribly in the official race, but I don’t care. I started out as #1. I had one of the fastest laps of the day, regardless. It was so fun.
This morning, before leaving for this event, I had a great morning.
I’m going to bed to read for a while. Seth Godin would say my blog is a cat blog. I’m okay with this distinction.
Self Portrait
Let’s start with the dreams. I spent all last night dreaming about presentations that I’d put together the night before. I woke up wondering if I should add a few slides to cover something else. What a crappy type of dream, dreaming about work. Especially stupid slideshows.
I woke early, but I couldn’t focus on having time for myself. Instead, I thought about work. I’m starting to sense that this is an issue. It’s not that I’m too focused about work, but that I haven’t been able to carve away another identity for myself that isn’t about work. More on that later.
My daughter got up next. She’s good for taking a quick Keith Richards roam around the loft, her pacifier dangling from the corner of her mouth and her hair a scarecrow stack on top. Her eyes little slits. She finally landed in the big bed beside her mom, still snoozing away. I pile in beside them for a little while, but I’m still restless. I have some stuff to do for work.
(And this is the recurring theme. I’m documenting this for my own examination. But what I’m doing is taking stock of my life. This is important to the process of personal growth).
So, I shower and get dressed. I stop by the local coffee place and get a big fishbowl of iced coffee, an egg sandwich, and the Wall Street Journal. I shave in the car while listening to NPR for a little while. I eat the egg sandwich on the road, switching over to listening to Louis Gerstner’s book: WHO SAYS ELEPHANTS CAN’T DANCE? about his turnaround of IBM from a giant mainframe company on the decline to a leaner ebusiness company who looked beyond the metal and saw the solution.
When I get out of my car at the office, I’m wearing an orange polo shirt and beige pants. I have the Wall Street Journal, a cell phone, a laptop, and an iced coffee in my hands. I am 35 years old. I’m standing in front of a company headquarters at 7:40 in the morning.
What the fred am I doing?
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Daily Fill
My day is filled with the following:
*designing process for our new little team.
*sharing ideas for our team, our company in general. Writing these ideas into documents.
*learning new technologies, including installing things on my little test beds and getting to play with them.
*phone conversations with big name hardware companies about future sales links.
*meetings about the same.
*working with the team to better deliver on requests.
*trying to come up with metrics to cover all this. (nothing here yet).
*answering random requests for information internally.
*research- lots of web-based research, including my nifty new Yankee Group subscription.
*interacting- trying to bring together disparate business needs within the company by linking people with knowledge to people with needs.
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The next phase of this examination takes longer. It deals with the following: If you weren’t busy running around doing all that, and if you weren’t busy THINKING about that stuff when you weren’t running around doing it, what would you want to do and think about on your own time?
Learning
First off, some of the things I’m doing are for love. I love learning. I’m enjoying learning about new techonologies, new business processes, etc. I also have this somewhat rare ability to merge the technical world with the non-technical world, such that I can explain technical things to non-technical people, and I can get really technical people to talk with me, even though I’m not nearly as technical as they are. To that end, I can’t count all that I’m doing in my day as “for work only,” because I really enjoy learning about new things, and it seems to be my lot in life to want to “teach and release” new information.
Self Improvement
Though I’ve been really lax in the fitness aspects of this, I’ve been doing lots around self-improvement. I need to do more. Or rather, I need to regroup, put a small plan together, and execute against the plan. I believe that you can let life lead you. I would rather lead my life. This requires action. It requires a little more focus and discipline than I seem to be exhibiting of late. There’s a key.
Creativity
I *am* using some of my time for creativity, but I’m channeling down these business paths. I come up with nifty graphics all the time, if you call rounded squares nifty. That said, I’ve felt the right-brain pull a lot lately. I think I’ll have to satisfy that in some way.
So, watch this space. I’m certain to be noodling through this “in the open,” as I find that it has some value to myself, and hope that there are things inside this blather that you can take from it.
Thoughts?
Whoa
My daughter went to her first day of preschool today. I guess that calls for a quick blog post, eh? The picture is actually after this event. She’s dumping bubbles on her mom. This is her look of glee at making a mess of her mother. : )
Realtime Community
We’re heading to a chili cookout sponsored by the local firefighters organization. It’s 300 feet from our house, and I already hear the music. Of course, there’s going to be everything you’d expect: a jalapeno eating contest, beer, corn-on-the-cob, and um… chili.
I’ll be good, eating-wise, but yum. Here’s a real way to celebrate labor day, right? With some of the folks in town who work hard and deserve all the praise they can get.
Open Source Fitness- Monday
I just filed an exercise post in my fitness blog. I really only did it by mistake. I meant to be posting it here. So, if you want to follow along with Open Source Fitness, go here.
