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Sunday, August 27, 2000AOLiza@ 12 pm | PermaLinkI don't know if any of you have seen this, but check out the conversations that the Automated Psychiatry program, Eliza was having with unsuspecting AOL Chat participants: <http://fury.com/aoliza/> A couple of them are just riots. Thirty/Twenty Nine go together (read Thrity first) and Five is pretty good too. (Don't mind the graphic weirdness on this entry, I'm just messing around with some ideas...)
Saturday, August 26, 2000A Busy weekend... already!@ 01 pm | PermaLinkAug 26 Sat (01 PM) Last night I went to hear Ralph Nader speak at the Memorial Coliseum. I'm glad I went for the content, cause Nader just doesn't have much speaking ability. At least not in the ability to rally a crowd... If he did, he'd be able to really scare the Gore campaign. Nader's group might do this in spite of Nader himself. --- This morning I've added some material to my Ghia pages, and I've finally gotten around to completing the navigation bar problem where the graphics weren't set up to expand all that well. This was fine as long as I didn't try to nest my sections too deep or have long titles, but it realy didn't look to professional. It's been on one of my to-do lists for months, and now I'm much happier with the site overall. --- For the Ghia, I've got to go out and check the oil. then I've *got* to track down an auto wrecker that will do away with the old Civic... I need to get this done before the end of the month elsewise Amy and I are going to be paying another month's of insurance on it.
Wednesday, August 23, 2000NxNW@ 09 pm | PermaLinkAug 23 Wed (09 PM) Amy and I have been catching up on movies ever since Kozmo started bringing them with ice cream and candy bars... :) The latest round included North by Northwest, Hitchock's film with Cary Grant. Of his films I've only ever seen Vertigo and would like to check out more in the future. <http://www.theapplecollection.com/various/Celebrity/hitchcock.html> The story was great and some of the scenes were really cool, particularly the fly-bys of the plane. I really thought that the whole picture would have been better if we had learned about the George Kaplan later on in the film. But it was a great ride, though I think Vertigo was the better of the two. Now, what's next? Rear Window seems to complete this reviewer's trio. <http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/n/north_northwest.html> Sounds like a plan... :)
Monday, August 21, 2000A BEGhIaNING@ 00 pm | PermaLinkAug 21 Mon (12 AM) This weekend I began taking the first few steps towards cleaning up and refurbishing Viva, my '73 Ghia. I've begun to find various resources around town that have parts and I'm beginning to figure out where those parts go. Two examples so far: Door panels and ashtrays. The driver's side door panel had been coming loose. The back end of the door (furthest from the hinge) was getting stuck on the interior vinyl trim piping on the inside of the wall just behind the door. This was causing the panel to be pulled off of the door each time I opened the door. The situation was obviously only going to get worse. I think it was the most serious problem with the car, because of how quickly the situation was becoming worse. So a trip to Thrifty Auto Supply was in order. I went down there and as I walked in the door, the guy asked me what year my Ghia was. Turns out he and his dad build VW Bugs and liked Ghias too. I knew I was in a good place. I coaxed him outside to look at the door and he knew just want I needed and just where to get it. Halsey Import Parts Distributing is at about 77th and Halsey <http://www.teleport.com/~halsey/,> a ways out east but not too bad. Again I had the counter guy come out and he knew what I needed and even told me how they would go in. He also told me that I ought to stop by another place, Always V Dub, On 50th between Hawthorne and Division. So I quickly got a hold of the necessary clips and boots, took off for home and got 'em installed. Now the panel is nice and tight and I've even made it better by installing the clips and boots on the bottom edge of the panel where they were missing. Then I took on the ashtray. It may not seem all that impressive but the thing was rusted tight. The lip that covered the tray and flipped up when the tray was pulled out was simply stuck. The spring that lifted the lip was no use against the layer of rust on the whole unit. I finally got the tray pryed out and dusted it off. It's still pretty grimy and rusted, but at least it works properly. (Not that it will get much use as there's a drink/food/smoke ban in the car.) I'll figure out what to use on the rust soon. The next two issues to tackle are the cover on the back of the dash and the dent in the rear fender. I think I might be able to pop out the dent myself. I'm going to give it a shot then I'll look into a body shop. The cover on the back of the dash is more difficult. in the trunk there's supposed to be a cover that divides the wiring behind the dash from the trunk. The original cardboard cover has utterly deteriorated and it's time for it to be replaced. It's a hazard really. On my '67, one night I had tried to hook up the overhead map light. While driving the main drag in Grants Pass, a thick, acrid smoke began pouring out of the dash. The wire that hooked up the map light was too small of gauge or something and the wire was glowing bright red when I looked at it. I want to get the wiring solid and replaced with good strong wires behind the dash of the '73. There are other issues, but these are the most pressing. By next year I'd love to be able to put her into a show as a daily driver...
Saturday, August 19, 2000Post-partum@ 12 pm | PermaLinkAug 19 Sat (12 PM) It seems like changes in my life make for my most prolific entries here. And the latest one is a doozie. One year and 8 months ago, a person (X) hired me to work with him at this new company that was part of his cousin's other company. For the first year or so, we formed the core of this company. He brought work in and I did the work. A few others played roles in this, however, it always seemed to me that these two roles formed the basis of the organization. As the company grew we both took on more responsibility, as the owner kept his hands off of the new baby and let X run the company pretty much as he saw fit. Last November/December I think X lost confidence in my work. The situation leading to this was the responsibility of a lot of people, but the largest rift came between X and myself. (At least from my perspective.) At that point, X's loss in confidence in myself extended to the entire development crew. More and more of his work was outsourced to 'professionals'. These moves threw me back on my heels and made me angry. X began to lean ever more heavily on another person in the company (Y). By late May of this year, X and Y were the only people bringing in work as the other sales reps had either moved on or been refocused on the more established side of the company. Over the following months the number of projects coming in fell further and further, until in one month, July, only one project came in of any decent size. Faced with time on my hands and an edict from the owner to setup the Development group to be the best it could, I began developing a handbook, a set of documents that detailed the steps that needed to be taken in order to have a successful project. The workbook was based off notes I've compiled over the past 5 years of interactive development. Over the course of three months, these notes were distilled, focused and formatted into what is today a usable, if half-completed, workbook that lays down the entire process from initial sales call to the post-launch marketing and wrap up. I had it approved by the owner and other interested parties and took it the sales staff. The new sales guy (Z) felt it was exactly what the company and he needed. Y had concerns about details but was happy to see it as well. However X was nonplussed. He continued to use his old inefficient methods, methods that kept the client and the company management in the dark about the progress of jobs, mostly because of the outsourcing issue. His accountability was reaching all time lows and the company was in trouble. His projects became drains on the company to the point where clients were calling the owner directly seeking satisfaction. Over the last few weeks after some difficult confrontations, heated discussions, poorly timed vacations and non-work actions (like my classes at PSU), X had been lobbying heavily for my removal. From every whisper I'd heard, X felt that the company's problems were directly related to my lack of skills and my inflexibility. This was never stated to me directly by X. My salary was 'simply chewing up the profits that the company could be generating.' I had little hope in defending myself. A phrase kept finding itself in my thoughts: "Blood is thicker than water." The owner began asking people around the shop about this. What value was I adding? Was I doing real work? Was I just producing a lot of heat and smoke? After far too long of no communication between me and the owner, I asked if we could talk. I'm not one to toot my horn, but after some prodding and some thought about what I needed addressed, I finally had this talk. Over the course of three hours I fully laid out the workbook, the processes, showed the sign-offs and approvals that I had gotten, stated precisely my position in relation with each member of the company and told the owner where my value fit into the overall company structure. The owner began to see the other side of the coin. I believe it was about this time that the questions X had been lobbing in my direction began to be asked about him. Sales were gone. X and Y had been focusing on what they termed 'business development' which included taking potential clients from the other side of the continent rock climbing on company hours. After demotions, salary cuts and a multitude of warnings, X showed no signs of stepping up to take full on the responsibility of his position. In fact, he eventually gave the owner an ultimatum. It did not go well, and in fact, the threat behind it was largely non-existent. X was no longer an employee of the company. On one hand, I'm relieved. The political and social tension that this rift was causing in the company and in me was ripping things apart. I began looking up old co-workers, establishing contacts that I felt would be necessary once A) the company was dissolved or B) I was let go. Now that's unnecessary. My organization and methodology can continue to blossom and grow. The work that I've put into the workbook will be tried and tested in the exact circumstances it was developed for. The pressure has been lifted and I can feel a lot of stress draining away. My cold sore, a constant companion in the last two high stress weeks, has even begun to recover. On the other hand I'm torn. X and myself had a very good thing in 1999. It was a time where we were about to take over the world and we knew how to do it because we could rely on each other. I know that today I am able to rely on the incredibly strong group that is there. As one said, "It's your chance to shine." I'm happy to have that confidence back. But it different. X and I were never close friends. But I do mourn loss of the comradery that came from those first few months of the birth of this company. I know where I will be looking for it. I feel sorry for X. I hope he can find his way as well. Funny, I'm trying to think of a song lyric that would close this entry, yet nothing seems to fit the sentiment of that last statement in a business context.
Tuesday, August 15, 2000The Next step for Apple@ 11 am | PermaLinkAug 15 Tue (11 AM) Take a look at: <http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2000/aug/15bod.html> and answer the following question: How much smaller can a Mac get? :) Can having a biotech company CEO on your board of directors bring an interest in Biotech to Apple? I can only imagine the great possibilities and great problems that this could bring.
Monday, August 14, 2000I'm evil@ 02 pm | PermaLinkAug 14 Mon (02 PM) I just gave my class an assignment. Create the American Flag in a table that is liquid enough to fill the browser. It should use cell backgrounds, cell colors and a nested table. I love this example...
Sunday, August 13, 2000As time goes by@ 11 am | PermaLinkAug 13 Sun (11 AM) From the catching up on old stuff department, Amy and I watched Casablanca last night. It was a Kozmo rental that's due back today or tomorrow, I forget which. It really is amazing to see just how many cultural references refer to this film: 'I think this is the begining of a beautiful friendship', 'Here's looking at you, kid', 'Play it Sam' (often referred to as 'Play it again, Sam'), 'The problems of three people don't amount to a hill of beans'. And on and on. I was really disapointed by the VHS release which has a 45 minute tribute to the film, which gives away major plot points which could have just as easily been placed at the back of the tape, and hinted at at the top of the video. After the first 20 mintues, I fast forwarded through it and got on with the film. Then I went back and watched the tribute. A much better sequence. --- Yesterday was transportation day as I picked up the following at Fred Meyer: A steering wheel cover, a bicycle pump and a pair of shoelaces. Oh yes, I am a man on the move. --- I'm going through a box of old Macworlds circa late 93, through 96. It's interesting to read articles on QuickDraw GX, Taligent and 'The Information Superhighway' which had just become coined by Gore. However my favorite by far, and which I've clipped out to save, in a November 1994 column by Guy Kawasaki. In 1994, Michael Spindler was the head of Apple, The PowerPC had just been introduced. It's a flight of fancy, a column that describes impossible events. It's headline? Steve Jobs to Return as Apple CEO "Said Jobs, from the headquaters of Next, 'At first I dismissed the idea whent the Apple board contacted me. However, because I'm now a father, I needed a steadier income source.'" Nice shot, Guy... <http://www.garage.com/background.shtml#execs> <http://www.google.com/search?q=guy+kawasaki>
Tuesday, August 08, 2000Scott Adams@ 00 pm | PermaLinkThis may seem really strange, but Scott Adams' book 'The Dilbert Future" is mildly funny, and overly self-depreciating humor, that in the last chapter turns very strange. If you ever see this book in the bookstore, grab it and read just the last chapter. While the rest of the book is just funny musings and exerpts from his Dilbert comic strip, the final chapter takes a right turn and heads right outside of this universe. <http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert/books/html/future.html> I'm not a huge fan of Dilbert, though I do think it's pretty good, but the gem of this book is that last chapter. For those of you who have read it, I'll share this little story. One of the things that Adams talks about is the potential effects our thoughts can have on the world around us. This intersection at 20th and Hawthorne is sslllooowwwww. The traffic on Hawthorne gets much much higher priority over the traffic on the other three streets that meet there. I travel on 20th, the slowest of the lights. Sceptically thinking about Adams' final chapter of the book, I sat at the light. "Well," I thought to myself, "if there was any credibility to the book, I ought to be able to and have the traffic light change to let me through." I looked up, and the light was green. I laughed as I drove off.
Friday, August 04, 2000Making Money@ 02 pm | PermaLinkMaking billions apparently depends on smoking lots of crack. <http://www.redherring.com/mag/issue82/mag-gates-82-home.html> How else do you explain some of these comments?
Previously, that same day...A Dream Fulfiled@ 09 pm | PermaLinkIt's finally happened. I have a new VW Karmann Ghia. Well, new in the sense that I got it on Monday. In reality it's a '73 Covertible. It's a convertible. Did I mention that it's a convertible? Silly little sound system in order to keep people from wanting to rip through the cloth top, a motor that sounds like only a Volkswagen can sound, and an aura that makes people compliment it as they walk past it. I'm extatic. I smile each time I walk out of a long day at work see what I get to drive home in. <http://www.insurgentcountry.com/cake_prolonging_the_magic.txt> 'But under my hood is internal combustion power...'
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August 2000
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