I am sick of launching multiple IM clients every time I log in. So from now on, you can find me on Skype, and only Skype. I haven't conducted a deep technical evaluation of my many IM clients, but just want to simplify. (And didn't want to have those of you who communicate with me via IM on Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, or ICQ think that I had dropped off the face of the earth completely!)
Technorati Tags: instant messaging, Skype
This is a topic I have thought a lot about, for many years. In fact, my undergraduate thesis in Philosophy (how is that for a useless major?) was on Aristotle's concepts of public and private as they relate to who is responsible for educating children, the future members of society.
Several people have asked when I am I going to blog, really blog, about Africa. And the truth is, I've tried a few times this summer to write an entry that could truly capture the experience, and I just cannot come up with it. Those who have communicated with me since my return either in person or through e-mail, could probably confirm that there is just an energy, an aura that is the direct result of my time there that simply cannot be conveyed over a blog post. It's not any one thing ... it was everything from being up close to wildlife I only dreamed about, to attending a conference addressing issues which I personally believe to be defining ones for my generation, climbing a mountain, and so much more.
Since returning from Africa, there has been so much going in my professional and personal lives, very little of which I would be comfortable sharing with the World Wacky Web. And since I've always blogged about things that are simply top of mind, it's been hard to come up with a blog entry recently. I guess I would rather not blog at all, than write an entry that isn't authentically representative of what's going on with me, or what I am thinking about.
One of the many outstanding people I met in Africa, told me about how he had read my blog ahead of the conference, and enjoyed it in large part because of its authenticity. That I wrote exactly what I was thinking, with little filtering. And that meeting me in person ultimately proved to be remarkably similar to "meeting" me via my blog ... in other words, there was little difference between my online persona and my real life character.
Am not sure how I feel about that. I have to believe that a blog - even the best written, most personal ones - can only begin to capture a fraction of the complexity that makes each of us individuals just that: an individual. Certainly, at least I would like to think there is a lot more going on in here [pointing to my head] than what I express on my blog. And what I've learned the last few weeks is that sometimes, a lot of this [again, pointing to my head] cannot be conveyed in this medium.
Technorati Tags: blogging, privacy
Note: Even though the date for this entry reads 29 June 2007, that is simply when I started the draft of this entry. I published this entry on 15 August 2007.
The other day while running I felt just the slightest pang of melancholy, and couldn't quite place my finger on why. Then it struck me: the smells in the air, the light in the sky, the slight chill of early February in Texas placed me back in time to just about a year ago when all of this was exactly the same ... and my life was very different.
Little did I know how dramatically nearly everything would be turned upside down in just a few short days ...
A couple of very kind friends asked me a few weeks ago if we should all do something to mark the day, and I quickly said no. But one thing I may do is take down, or at the very least signficantly edit, a few of the related blog entries. So I am giving the heads up to those of you who posted comments or otherwise want to keep a record of the material, now would be a good time to cut and paste. Because sometime in the near future, I am likely going to engage in selective editing of Class V.
UPDATE (March 1, 2007): Selective editing on all entries related to the 12 February 2006 category has occurred.
As evidence that life moves on, although I rarely post pics of myself, above is a pic of my family from a few weeks ago. Also an excuse for me to post something to help, when I am telling women of this fantastic brother I have that I must set them up with. In all seriousness, this is my inner circle, and a week or so from now, I will reflect upon all that I still have instead of what I have lost. Even more so than I usually do, which is one of the great gifts of surviving and learning from - let's call it - a one star day. Love to all.
I was getting some early season powder in last week, while the one year anniversary of this blog came and went. (And by the way, the new gear rocks!)
What a year, eh?
For the most part, this blog experiment has turned into a project that has proven to be quite helpful in my professional life, in which networking is such a highly valued skill. I remain conflicted as to whether I appreciate the effects this blog has had on my personal life, although I will say that I enjoy hearing from old acquaintances who somehow find me through it.
But like everything else in life, tradeoffs abound. And so on balance, I do believe that Class V has given at least as much back to me, as I have put into it. Thank you to everyone who reads this blog, and I am especially grateful to those who take the time to post comments. I believe that the comments distinguish a blog from an ordinary personal home page ... in other words, it is the difference between a conversation and a monologue.
Technorati Tag: blogging
Dr. Paul Jacobs, CEO of QUALCOMM, is currently speaking at DEMOfall. And like any good attentive audience member, I am using this opportunity to use the TypePad Mobile product along with my Treo 700p camera.
UPDATE: Jacobs is still speaking (showing us pictures of some interesting consumer devices with telephone capability) and I just opened my laptop web browser to check out how this post renders. Some quirky formatting issues like extra space lines being added after the photo, but on the whole, not bad ... missing features from the TypePad Mobile product include:
- ability to post to multiple TypePad categories
- friendly UI to handle basic formatting like bullet lists, hyperlinks, etc.
- QuickText capability to cut and paste standard HTML code
Awesome weekend in San Diego ... becoming very comfortable in the lovely community of Encinitas, which I am now regarding as my home base for surfing in North County. Now have my favorite post-dawn patrol breakfast spot, soulful coffeehouse , and Italian trattoria there. Am so impressed by how welcoming everyone has been to me, just a random solo traveler trying to learn to surf ... heartfelt appreciation to all! Met the "King of Swami's" during a dawn patrol on Saturday, and decided to finally go for it at this legendary spot. Conditions were favorable for a beginning longboarder like me, and I enjoyed some nice long rides before rushing off the water by 8:00 AM PT and successfully scoring Rolling Stones tickets as soon as they went on sale for their first ever performance in Austin.
Any pictures of Swami's, you might ask? Well, my inner shutterbug has been darkened for now ... seems that there is an issue with the new MacBook Pro's and USB / SD card readers. And it is not just me: one of my colleagues with a new MacBook Pro has the same issue.
Am also suffering technical difficulties with my BlackBerry at the moment, at least for my corporate e-mail address (which is, of course, what the device is supposedly primarily designed for.) My employer's outsourced e-mail provider decided to upgrade their BES to Version 4.0 without letting any of the users know. Friends and family have known of my increasing frustration with both Cingular and my BlackBerry 7290, and both are changing shortly (after Verizon rolls out the BlackBerry 8703e on August 28.) So it could be a bumpy few weeks getting a hold of me, but hopefully, my mobile phone number won't change through any of this ...
Back to this past weekend in San Diego. Other highlights included my first rides at another well known spot, even further north, called Oceanside Harbor. The adjective here would be crowded. And my first rides without neoprene, which posed all kinds of, um, equipment challenges that guys don't have to consider (and let's just leave it at that.) Finally, I saw a movie Saturday night that while not exactly life changing, left a powerful impression. The movie will be the topic of my next blog entry.
Technorati Tag: Encinitas
Changes are afoot. Not at liberty to discuss them in this kind of forum, but in light of the adjustments ahead, I've begun to restructure my day to day life a bit. One decision I've already executed on is to step down as the Technology & Web Contributing Editor at BlogHer, which I did last week. I still absolutely adore the women running the show there - and encourage everyone to continue visiting their site - but given that I barely have the time to keep my own blog fresh, it just didn't make sense for me to continue to try and write there as well.
Also just removed the Popcorn section from this blog. I know there are several readers that very much enjoyed that section, but the reality is that I see far fewer movies now than I did before events of this past winter. Rotten Tomatoes is where it's at, for that kind of thing anyway.
Technorati Tags: BlogHer, Rotten Tomatoes
Have had a few questions about the rating system used for the Popcorn section of this blog (lower left column). My late husband and I saw a lot of movies, and so the thumb system was obvious. Since February 12, 2006, I've decided to continue with the reviews (although I do not see as many movies), but now Rotten Tomatoes represents one of the thumbs, and I am the other. If the movie is "Certified Fresh" by Rotten Tomatoes, then that counts as a thumb up.
This system has flaws, and the latest review demonstrates one of them. My Popcorn rating of The Lake House is technically one thumb up, which would indicate that it is only a decent film. However, I absolutely loved this movie - despite the Rotten Tomatoes rating of 29% - and so I wrote instead, "One enthusiastic thumb up."
Technorati Tags: Rotten Tomatoes, movie reviews, The Lake House
UPDATE (March 1, 2007): This entry has been significantly edited (content deleted) per this blog entry.
[snip] Today, I want to just let everyone know that I am - all things considered - getting by. I have returned to work, even if just for three or four half days a week. And, as my stamina and energy return, I will continue to increase my hours. My firm has been absolutely perfect, in letting me be a professional and deciding for myself what I can or cannot take on at this point. Literally, I cannot thank my employers enough for the depth of kindness they have demonstrated to me. I am not yet traveling, but hope to be up for that in the next couple of weeks. And my first major public work-related outing will be honoring my commitment to speak at SXSW on Monday. Perhaps I will see many of my Austin-based readers there ...
People have told me that they are astonished at my strength and grace during this most challenging of times. While I appreciate the support, everyone should know that I still have my moments. However, I have most of them in private, which is exactly how I want to have them. [snip]
I will be forever changed, but life will go on for me just as it has for nearly everyone else. And this is how it should be ... life is difficult, yet life is - and I believe this completely - inherently good. This is what has made it so interesting to get out of bed every morning for the last 34 years, and I imagine that will continue to be the case. [snip]
Technorati Tag: grief
I definitely agree with Paul Kedrosky's post today, highlighting a free Wall Street Journal article that discusses the financial conflicts of interests of several A List bloggers.
I will note that I already hinted at this issue in my post here, specifically my opinions regarding the responsibility of the [blogosphere's] elite class and the inevitably of class conflict within any society.
Many of my readers know that I have serious issues with a few traditional VC blogs, not the least of which is that some of the behavior exhibited on such blogs dangerously borders on the unprofessional. For example, you will not find me discussing current portfolio companies here, or their competitors. I trust my CEO's and their team members to be able to effectively execute a PR strategy that does not require one of their major financial stakeholders to navigate murky ethical waters.
As I commented on Kedrosky's post, some of this behavior reminds me of the world of equity research analysts before Section 501 (15D) of Sarbanes Oxley. Let's hope the blogosphere can establish its own code of ethics before someone else does. Or before, God forbid, the Limited Partners of venture capital firms begin to think it is all right to blog about the goings on of their (the Limited Partners') investments.
Technorati Tags: SOX, blogs, venture capital, ethics
