Quick Review 2005

The Hitchhiker Team says thanks to YOU (on the one hand) for providing the opportunity to share what we have found you doing and (on the other hand) for coming here to read about what we have found.

This is 2005 in review.


How many did you add to your blogroll? or RSS reader?

We would be interested to know, drop us a line or comment.

Date	Post Title
03/03/2005	The Blogosphere is a Giant Time Capsule
03/03/2005	The Blogosphere trail is open
03/04/2005	The Artful Manager - Andrew Taylor
03/07/2005	Change the World!
03/07/2005	The Manolo's Shoe Blog
03/07/2005	The Hobopoet - AJ Hoge
03/08/2005	Managing Product Development - Johanna Rothman
03/08/2005	Time Goes By: Ronnie Bennett
03/09/2005	Inspiration is everywhere - Drawn
03/10/2005	d2 Redefined - Martin Hattingh
03/11/2005	Celebrity Blog - Rosie O'Donnell
03/12/2005	Tediousness - Wendy
03/14/2005	Cooking for Engineers
03/15/2005	Doc Searls Weblog
03/16/2005	The Lazyway - Fred Gratzon
03/17/2005	Burningbird - Shelley Powers
03/18/2005	Hello, my name is Blog - Scott Ginsberg
03/20/2005	Oracle Blogs
03/20/2005	PC World's Techlog
03/20/2005	See Larry Magid. See Larry Magid Blog.
03/21/2005	Barry Hardy's Nanomosis
03/21/2005	Brian Weaver's Grafyte.com
03/21/2005	Legacy Matters - Jill Fallon
03/22/2005	Connecting the Dots
03/22/2005	Woulda Coulda Shoulda - Mir
03/24/2005	CPH127 - A Group Blog on Design
03/25/2005	Ticketstub - Open for your story
03/28/2005	The Divine Miss Em - Emily Mann
03/29/2005	Skeptico - Richard Rockley
03/31/2005	Scared Monkeys
04/01/2005	The Mindjet Blog
04/04/2005	The Naked Truth - NYPaganChick
04/05/2005	Creating Passionate Users - Kathy Sierra
04/06/2005	A Million Monkeys Typing - Douglas Johnston
04/06/2005	Blahgkarma
04/07/2005	Agile Management
04/10/2005	Blog of the Robert Vall Mas [EliziR]
04/10/2005	Simplicity - Trevor Gay
04/12/2005	The Occupational Adventure - Curt Rosengren
04/14/2005	Truck and Barter - A group economic blog
04/17/2005	Korea Life Blog
04/17/2005	Mutter
04/17/2005	Serenity Now: Matt Carter's Blog
04/18/2005	Leadership in the Real World Blog
04/22/2005	Freakonomics - The Blog
04/23/2005	Dervala.net - Dervala
04/25/2005	Small Business Trends - Anita Campbell
04/28/2005	BLOGthenticity - Real Business Group Blog
05/01/2005	Earth 911
05/01/2005	Running Inspiration
05/02/2005	Good Experience - Mark Hurst
05/02/2005	Speechwriting - Ghostwriting: Jane Genova
05/03/2005	A Little Nonsense - Johnny Biscuit
05/03/2005	Irish Blogs
05/04/2005	A Clear Eye - Tom Asacker
05/06/2005	Ageless Marketing - David Wolfe
05/07/2005	?ic @TomorrowToday.biz = A Group Blog
05/09/2005	Decent Marketing - Katherine Stone
05/14/2005	A Sense of Place - Ronni Bennett
05/15/2005	Learned on Women - Andrea Learned
05/16/2005	Cuturekitchen - Liza Sabater, et al
05/18/2005	Keep trying - Mike Sanders
05/20/2005	BrandShift - Group Blog
05/23/2005	hyku - Josh Hallett
05/25/2005	WonderBranding - Michelle Miller
05/26/2005	Reflexions - susanvg
05/27/2005	Chocolate and Vodka - Suw Charman
05/30/2005	Cross Cultural News
05/30/2005	molly.com - Molly E. Holzschlag
05/30/2005	BRICOLAGE
06/01/2005	Ageless Marketing - David B Wolfe
06/02/2005	BigPictureSmallOffice - Nameless
06/03/2005	optional n: a blog about jen(n)
06/06/2005	Elisa Camahort's Personal Weblog
06/06/2005	Escape from Corporate America!
06/06/2005	Groundhog Day - Dave Rogers
06/06/2005	larry borsato
06/07/2005	37 Days - Patricia Digh
06/08/2005	Yoga Girl
06/09/2005	Jory des Jardins - 36B
06/09/2005	Papercasting - Packetrat
06/10/2005	Out of Control
06/13/2005	Becker - Posner Blog: Gary Becker & Richard Posner
06/14/2005	The Jer Zone - Jerry Halstead
06/17/2005	SEO Files
06/18/2005	How to save the world - Dave Pollard
06/20/2005	Funny Business - Elana Centor
06/21/2005	Bag and Baggage - Denise Howell
06/22/2005	Brand Autopsy - Johnny Moore
06/22/2005	Classic Horror Library
06/22/2005	Some Are Dead
06/23/2005	Marketonomy - Christopher Kenton
06/25/2005	Jason Santa Maria
06/25/2005	Uncommon Knowledge
06/27/2005	Blog Business World - Wayne Hurlbert
06/27/2005	Country Bee
06/28/2005	This Fish Needs a Bicycle - Heather Hunter
06/29/2005	Greek Tragedy - Stephanie Klein
06/30/2005	pc4media - Peter Caputa
07/01/2005	The Space aboove the Couch - Jennifer Pohl
07/10/2005	35 Degrees
07/10/2005	Tokyo Times Blog
07/11/2005	Dream Big
07/13/2005	Environmental Economics
07/14/2005	Corporate Blogging - Sher Taton
07/14/2005	What she said - Morgaine
07/18/2005	BrandShift - Group Blog
07/18/2005	Brand Noise
07/18/2005	Naming and Branding Meta Blog
07/25/2005	Hilary - facinationdesign
07/26/2005	Inkfinger
07/27/2005	Ok/Cancel
07/28/2005	Third Age Blog
08/01/2005	Ed Batista
08/02/2005	True Ancestor - David Gottlieb
08/03/2005	Small Beer - Deejay
08/08/2005	Rothacker Reviews - David Rothacker
08/09/2005	Blog Business Summit - Link Experiment
08/09/2005	Gillianic Tendencies - Gillian Gunson
08/10/2005	Iron Horses - Sonja Howle
08/10/2005	Man on a Mission
08/11/2005	Ripples - David St Lawrence
08/12/2005	WordLust & PaperFetish - Cindy St Onge
08/15/2005	Collective Intelligence
08/15/2005	Anecdote
08/16/2005	The Public (Mind)
08/17/2005	deus ex machinatio - Andrea Phillips
08/18/2005	My Mom's Blog by Thoroughly Modern Millie
08/24/2005	Virtualosophy - Stacy Brice
08/24/2005	Average Jane
08/24/2005	Blog of a Scientist-Turned-Entrepreneur
08/24/2005	The Joy of Six!
08/25/2005	The Rake Blogs
08/30/2005	The Ice Floe - PeripateticPolarBear
08/30/2005	Girl Wonder - Molly W Steenson
09/01/2005	Thoughts and Prayers
09/09/2005	Frog Blog
09/09/2005	NZBC
09/09/2005	The Integrative Stream
09/10/2005	Tomorrow Connecting
09/11/2005	whimsical mystic - twyla
09/12/2005	memoria technica - Gary Turner
09/12/2005	Simply Me
09/13/2005	Long Tail - Chris Anderson
09/14/2005	Off on a Tangent - Steve Garfield
09/15/2005	being jennifer garrett
09/15/2005	Winged Pig
09/15/2005	A Penny For...
09/15/2005	Ernie the Attorney
09/16/2005	McGee's Musings
09/19/2005	Presto Speaks - Shelly
09/19/2005	Rattle the Cage!
09/19/2005	First Draft by Tim Porter
09/22/2005	100.bloggers
09/26/2005	Track Junkie
09/27/2005	Answer Girl - Ellen Clair Lamb
09/28/2005	Las Fashionistas
10/02/2005	Genuine Curiosity
10/02/2005	finslippy
10/03/2005	Kieran's Adventures in Slow Twitch - Kieran Synder
10/04/2005	Mary's Blog -
10/06/2005	Running Chick with the Orange Hat - Dianna
10/07/2005	weblogg-ed - Will Richardson
10/10/2005	eHub - Emily Chang
10/10/2005	Operation Eden
10/11/2005	Steven's Log - Steven
10/12/2005	Life Beyond Code - Rajesh Setty
10/13/2005	Mick O'Grady - Mike Daily
10/13/2005	A Gonzo Journal by Cowboy Caleb
10/13/2005	Scared Monkeys and More...
10/18/2005	Never Work Alone
10/19/2005	Treasure Island - JD
10/20/2005	The Boy Who Heard Music - Pete Townsend
10/21/2005	Through the wall - Wil
10/24/2005	Is it really?
10/24/2005	Raspberry Latte
10/26/2005	Improbable Research -- What's New
10/27/2005	Idea Sandbox Blog - Paul Williams
10/28/2005	hypocritical - Rick Turoczy
10/31/2005	eye 2 eye - Ian Macarthur
10/31/2005	This Blog Sits...
10/31/2005	A Little Pollyanna
10/31/2005	Rebecca's Pocket
10/31/2005	Fragments from Floyd
11/01/2005	Hog Blog - Sally Hogshead
11/02/2005	Teach Me Team Work - Tom Heck
11/03/2005	The Sneeze - Steven
11/04/2005	Dilbert Blog - Scott Adams
11/05/2005	Jonathan's Blog - Jonathan Schwartz
11/06/2005	Brain Waves - Zack Lynch
11/06/2005	Funny Ha-Ha or Funny Peculiar? - Betsy Devine
11/08/2005	Inkblurt!
11/13/2005	Ypulse - Anastasia Goodstein
11/14/2005	What was I thinking? - Sela Carsen
11/15/2005	Island of Spice - James Ainsworth
11/16/2005	Woulda Coulda Shoulda (Redux)
11/16/2005	Wellness Works - Jane Bamber
11/20/2005	Sour Duck
11/20/2005	Squarebrain
11/21/2005	The Bumble Bee - Ken Thompson
11/21/2005	Mommy Bloggers
11/21/2005	The New Charm School - Jennifer Warwick
11/22/2005	Songs of Experience - Joan Nesbit Mabe
11/24/2005	Talking Story - Rosa Say
11/29/2005	Run Strong / Run Long - LisaLeese
11/30/2005	Walk this way... japee
11/30/2005	Help!
12/01/2005	Just breathe - alexis stewart
12/04/2005	A List Apart
12/04/2005	800-CEO-READ Blog
12/05/2005	A View from England - Maureen
12/06/2005	Top10 Sources
12/07/2005	misbehaving.net - group blog by women about women and technology
12/12/2005	Time Leadership by Jim Estill
12/19/2005	Carnival of 100 Bloggers, Issue 1
12/20/2005	Three Kid Circus - Jennifer
12/20/2005	Houston Running - Jon Walk
12/21/2005	Zingers - David Zinger
12/21/2005	Year end preview
12/22/2005	notSalmon - Karen Salmansohn
12/22/2005	Jabberwock - Jai Arjun Singh
12/22/2005	Blowin' in the wind
12/24/2005	'Twas the blog before Christmas
12/26/2005	10 Minutes to Better Teaching - Michael Ballenger
12/27/2005	bard's eye view - Jeremy Abrams
12/28/2005	Being Reasonable - Marc Babej

What will the list for 2006 look like?

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2006!

Check back often, there will be a lot to write about this year.

Being Reasonable - Marc Babej

Marc Babej write at Being Reasonable, the blog for Reason, Inc.

From this week's interview with Tom Asacker, author of A Clear Eye for Branding, Marc writes:

In the minds of many marketers, retention is almost synonymous with “loyalty.” You see it differently. In your view, what’s the problem with loyalty as a framework?

Loyalty is another poor metaphor for business. Listen, when they asked Einstein what single event was most helpful to him in developing his theory of relativity, he answered: “Figuring out how to think about the problem.” With his enlightened answer in mind, I would suggest that marketers employ a new mental model to help them think about their problems and stay aware of, and adapt to, the increasing number of sudden and unexpected shifts in the marketplace.

From Surprise, Surprise: Viewers Want DVR's to Skip Ads

Last month, TV executives claimed their research had revealed that TV viewers use DVRs to time-shift programming, not to skip ads. Agenda: get advertisers to pay for time-shifted ad impressions.

Not so, says WPP media agency MindShare. According to a survey published earlier this week, 80% of DVR owners mentioned the ability of DVRs to skip ads. As Jason Maltby of Mindshare Broadcast puts it; “consumers want to control not just what they watch and when they watch, but also the ability to avoid commercial placements.”

Read Marc for good words on advertising, marketing, branding, etc.

bard's eye view - Jeremy Abrams

From Jeremy's profile:

A blog "...that knits up the blogger's ravelled sleeve of care. Balm of bloggers' hurt minds. Chief nourisher in life's feast of blogging."

An approach to blogging and expressing oneself is to take on a persona, an alter ego. Jeremy takes on the world from the view point of one of the great writer's, William Shakespeare.

From Iago, Morgan Freeman and Racism, Jeremy writes:

Each century finds in Shakespeare, through his humanity, answers to its own questions, questions that lay beyond Shakespeare's own day, in the undiscovered country of the future. Just as Mr. Freeman's description of a post-racist world may have pointed to the undiscovered country of our future. As for Mr. Freeman's imagined future, as Hamlet says in a somewhat different context:

"'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished."

From Measure for Measure and Patriot Act, Jeremy writes:

Bardseye's viewers who don't already know can today be informed that the Duke himself was listening in on Isabella and Claudio's family squabble. Mistrustful of Angelo, the Duke in fact never left Vienna. He assumed instead a friar's habit and secretly wandered the backstreets of his own city, learning at first hand the nature of the people he governed.

Under the expanded powers of the Patriot Act, the FBI and NSA (National Security Council for our non-American readers) have for the last four years been doing much the same. And in our modern recasting we will have Angelo stand in for an Al Qaida cell member, whose public face of rectitude, like Angelo's, belies his nefarious subterranean plans. Isabella's virtue will stand for something like the Brooklyn or Golden Gate Bridge, or the Sears Tower, or the Statue of Liberty or the White House. Or maybe just a planeload of people.

I could go on but it is best that you read this for yourself.

Shakespeare is as relevent today as he was in the Elizabethan times and Jeremy makes this very clear.

Read bard's eye view!

shakespeare

10 Minutes to Better Teaching - Michael Ballenger

Michael Ballenger writes at 10 Minutes to Better Teaching

10 Minutes to Better Teaching is a concept resource for faculty development in higher education. The concept- Give me 10 minutes and I'll give you something practical you can take into your college classroom.

10 Minutes to Better Teaching represents a first step. My hope is that once instructors understand that faculty development can provide practical assistance to their classroom or online environment; they will be more willing to attend more formal training, participate in learning groups, and share best practices between departments

10 Minutes to Better Teaching is a service of the Academic Applications Department of Concordia University- Portland Oregon

This is not really a blog but this is a use of blogging technology to share information. Since some of the information it is sharing comes from blogs it fits here.

Nicely done.
We can learn from this and hence it has achieved its purpose!

teaching

education

'Twas the blog before Christmas

'Twas the blog before Christmas, when all through the house
No blogger was stirring, no hand moved the mouse.
The postings were stacked by the tag cloud with care,
In hopes that more readers soon would be there;

The users were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of updates danced in their heads;
And me with my podcast, downloaded like that,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out from my laptop there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the portal I flew like a flash,
Tore open the reader and refreshed the cache.

The enclosure attached soon gave me to know
That new entries were here, more news I should know.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a raft of new updates, eight headlines so clear,

With a quick Wiki update, who could it be?
Our investor, of course, a leading VC.
More rapid than eagles his portfolio came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Blogspot! Now Feedster! now, Movable Type!
On, FeedBurner, FeedBlitz! (On Marketing Hype!)
To the top of the feed! To the top of them all!
Now blog away! blog away! blog away all!"

As valuations that before the wild bubble do fly,
When they meet with a fund, mount up to the sky,
So up to the top of the investments they flew,
With RSS data, and named it Web 2.

And then, with a twinkling, I read in my news
Each notable posting, contrary views.
As I drew back my hand, and was turning around,
Down to my trackback he came with a bound.

His comments were brief, what was ado?
Were adwords OK? Did users click through?
A bundle of mashups he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

Our AJAX - how it twinkled! Our tagging - how merry!
We socially networked to his brand new BlackBerry!
Our RSS valid, we were well syndicated,
We subscribed to the feeds that we loved (and we hated);

The stump of our web site held tight in our teeth,
The hyperbole encircled his head like a wreath;
We tagged Technorati, we blogged with the best,
On Feedster we surged and made the A-list.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And marked us on Frappr, and Flickr he searched.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
Updated his blog, up our OPML rose;

He sprang to his feed, gave his investments a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"

**

With best wishes from FeedBlitz to everyone this holiday season!

(c) www.feedblitz.com 2005
Full reproduction permitted only with full attribution and links intact.

Technorati: FeedBlitz RSS Bloglet

notSalmon - Karen Salmansohn

Hey, Karen writing on her blog has had these titles for recent posts:

Previous Posts

• Do opposites REPEL? Similars ATTRACT?

• Do opposites repel and similars attract?

• CAREER BUTT KICK TIP

• LISTEN TO THIS...

• WHENEVER POSSIBLE, PLAY WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE BETTER THAN YOU.

• ARE YOU FEAR-DIRECTED OR PLEASURE-DIRECTED?!

• A GOOD SNAKE MISTAKE STORY!

• THRIVE, BABY, THRIVE!

• LOVE LESSONS FROM MUSSOLINI, STALIN AND CHARLES MANSON!

Come on, from "career butt kicks" to "Love lessons from Mussolini", this you have to read!

So what are you waiting for? Follow a link, check it out.

And if you don't end up adding her to your RSS reader or signing up for her newsletter, let me know.

That information should help direct future recommendations!


PS - these are her RSS feeds...

You can try either
www.notsalmon.com/atom.xml
or
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DailyLifeBoosterBlog

Jabberwock - Jai Arjun Singh

Jabberwock, the same as from Alice in Wonderland.

The byline reads:

"It seems very pretty," Alice said when she had finished it, "but it's rather hard to understand! ... Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas - only I don't exactly know what they are!"

From Some notes on the new King Kong

How does it compare with the original?

Meaningless comparison. Cinema is a young form that has seen enormous changes occur in a relatively short period of time (just a little over a century). In literary terms, the difference between the creaky 1933 King Kong and this new, CGI-fuelled one by Peter Jackson is as vast as that between the works of Chaucer and the modern-day novel, probably vaster.

From Patna Roughcut review

This isn’t to suggest that most youngsters who frequent film festivals do so out of a sense of obligation, or that they get nothing worthwhile from the experience. And the Cine Society passage is, of course, only a small part of Chowdhury’s powerful book. But it captures a motif that runs through the work: that of disaffected people with idealistic notions about "high culture" that have little relevance to the realities of their lives; of dreams that come to naught; of too much thinking and not enough acting.

You should read more of this. This is good stuff!

Blowin' in the wind

The song title for this blog caught my eye. A classic folk song if there ever was one.

Get a life! Gotta blog!

Gotta blog brings up memories of the dance routine from Singing in the Rain, Gotta dance!

The first post I read is about Elton John's "marriage" or civil ceremony. And I like the point of view.

The About page has the following in the Biography section

I miss my wife, who is teaching at a college in Kolkata, India, and my son, an undergraduate at a liberal arts college in the US, while I am working in Singapore.

This will be worth reading.

Won't you join me?

Add Blowin' in the wind to your RSS reader.

Zingers - David Zinger

The byline reads "Unique humor and personal perspectives you can read in one minute".

David writes for you to read these quickly. They'll be short and to the point. Occasionally with pictures. You won't find any long disertations here.

David also writes on Strength-based Leadership.

Keith Ferrazzi was a co-author of Never eat alone: And other secrets to success, one relationship at a time. Brian Uzzi is a co-author of How to build your network.

Two authors with 4z’s in their names are contributing to a renewed buzzzz on relationships, connecting, and networking.

Read more of David's writing on Strength-based Leadership!

Year end preview

The pie chart depicts the split of the posts here amongst male, female, and group blogs with a small amount of "other" posts. This posting, for example, would be considered in the other category.

The Hitchhiker Team has been busy posting on 155 days with 217 different posts since March of this year.

When I look back over who we found and wrote about here, I am glad I am sitting down. It is amazing.

I hope you think so too!

In case the chart is hard to read, here is the table that drove the chart:

Blog Type	Count	Percent
Group	43	20%
Male	94	43%
Female	75	35%
Other	5	2%
Total	217	100%

Three Kid Circus - Jennifer

I know. It's unbelievable how much I look like Xena, Warrior Princess. Except, you know, shorter. And with red hair.

My name is Jenny, and I'm the 32 year old mother to three wild children, aged 5 1/2 6, 4 4 1/2 and 22 26 months. We live in Northern California.

Since becoming a mother, I've been alternately frustrated, charmed, awestruck and dumbstruck at the changes in myself and my life.

I started this blog as a way to keep it all straight, and keep it real. This is my life. Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome.

Jennifer has a good sense of humor.

Check out her rewrite of "Eye of the Tiger". It comes complete with the music to sing along.

And if you like that, then add her to your RSS reader and check her out often.

Houston Running - Jon Walk

Yes, Jon writes on running in the Houston area. I am sure he must get some comments about his last name.

A new runner's attempt to energize the discussion of Houston-area (and Texas as well) road racing. Focus and attention will be given to Houston-area runners, specifically HARRA members, that compete in outside-of-the-area events as well as those who do interesting things that aren't captured in the various media outlets, such as Inside Texas Running, Runner Triathlete News and Roberta MacInnis' Running Notebook in the Houston Chronicle (all fine publications but with limitations too).

Full of information on the running scene based in Houston.

Full of good running resources.

misbehaving.net - group blog by women about women and technology

The description of misbehaving.net is:

misbehaving.net is a weblog about women and technology. It's a celebration of women's contributions to computing; a place to spotlight women's contributions as well point out new opportunities and challenges for women in the computing field.

The group of women posting there are:

danah boyd
Hilde Corneliussen
Caterina Fake
Meg Hourihan
Liz Lawley
Fiona Romeo
Dorothea Salo
Halley Suitt
Gina Trapani
Jill Walker

Oh, and Halley is here also! No, I am not following her around. She does not need my support, she already is an A lister. We are way out here on the edge of the long tail!

But for the woman's view point, you need go no further than to visit misbehaving.net!

Top10 Sources

Gee, this site could put us out of business. We pale in comparison. Primarily due to Blogger's limitations. And this is a part time thing for us.

But Top10 Sources has it all. Look at the categories!

Business & Money

Venture Capital Your Money

Entertainment

Webcomics Science Fiction Poker The Simpsons Gossip Tom Cruise Pro Wrestling Comic Books Hot TV Celebrity Couples Television Anime

Fashion

Mens Fashion Celebrity Fashion Shoes Purses Fashion Trends

Food & Wine

Beer Regional Wine Dessert Food Wine News And Commentary Wine Reviews

Health & Science

Women In Science Womens Health Environment Astronomy Science News Weight Loss

Hobbies & Games

Runners Knitting Gaming Climbing Cars

Holidays

December Holidays Patriotism Halloween

Humor

Humor

Ideas & Culture

Books Philosophy Fine Art

Law

Election Law US Law IP Law

Life

Being Gay Weddings Homeschooling Judaism Asiana Dating Sustainable Living Fatherhood Procrastination Motherhood College Bloggers

Media

Media Blogging Journalists

Movies

New Movies Cinema Harry Potter

Music

Hip Hop Jazz Opera Popular Music Alternative Rock Guitars Latin Music Divas Classical Music

People

Halleys Top 10 (yes, even Halley is here!)

Places & Travel

London New York City France Chicago Travelogues Canada Travel

Needless to say, we provide a personal interest in what we view and share here. We think that is our reason to be and THE reason for which you are encouraged to come back from time to time and see what's new.

You always have a choice: read us or Top10 Sources

A View from England - Maureen

Maureen writes at A View from England

I'm an American expat - from Minnesota - residing in the UK. I live in a small town near London with my English husband and our two sons (16 and 14).

I follow current events avidly and I'm particularly interested in issues about parenting, education, health, nature, and the environment.

I enjoy reading, writing, gardening, birding, aerobics, movies, and going to the theatre. My other interests are philosophy, psychology, history and of course blogging!

I frequently blog about the government's plans for an ID card & National Identity Register which I strongly oppose.

Read more of Maureen and her View from England!

Just breathe - alexis stewart

Alexis writes at Just Breathe that she is

I am an indefinable something (probably not in a good way).

She writes of her haven

She does an occasional meme - like Lemon Meringue Pie!

She writes of embarrassing customer announcements.

Read more of Alexis!

Walk this way... japee

The jumble of thoughts going through my head while walking the streets of Charleston, SC with my little camera...

The photos are wonderful. The commentary well written. Having briefly visited Charleston, SC earlier this year, I can verify that she is capturing the area very well. I am learning more each time I come to her page so that when I get a chance to return, I'll feel more at home.

Check out how she works her page; different, cool.

Run Strong / Run Long - LisaLeese

LisaLeese writes at Run Strong / Run Long. In her about me section, she answers the question why?

So, why do I keep at it? My mother asked me that recently, after looking at a list of my various injuries. "Don't they hurt a lot? Aren't you doing some permanent damage?" I reassured her the best I could that my knees would not go to mush, or that I would not cripple myself. I guess the only people who really understand why I keep coming back for more would be other runners. I do it for my physical health. I do it so I can eat BAD food and not feel too bad about it. I do it to keep my head clear. I do it for the challenge of training and the pain of speedwork, and realizing I am strong enough to triumph over that pain. I do it to be part of a greater community of runners who feel the same way about the road or trails under their feet, with nothing but their own thoughts to pace them. I do the marathons because.. they're there.. and why not?

If you want to hear about the trials of running and living in Houston, TX read LisaLeese!

Talking Story - Rosa Say

Rosa Say writes at Talking Story. She is the author of Managing with Aloha, a wonderful business text about managing with Hawaiian values. I recently finished reading it and will be doing a review on it shortly.

She has created a wonderful Ho'ohana community with her blog. Ho'ohana is the Hawaiian value for meaningful work.

Her posting today is from her archives for Thanksgiving 2004.
It is a good today as it was then.

Read Rosa!

Consider joining the Ho'ohana community.

You'll be glad you did.

Songs of Experience - Joan Nesbit Mabe

Joan Nesbit Mabe, a quality runner, member of several US National teams also coaches seejanerun (a club for running mothers) and blogs about running. New Englander's may recall her first place finish at Falmouth but she lists as

Greatest lifetime achievements:
3 daughters … Sarah Jane (12), Rosie (8), and Lizzie (4)

There is some balance to this lady runner. You can learn a lot by reading her!

The Bumble Bee - Ken Thompson

Ken Thompson writes at The Bumble Bee.

He has a manifesto on Bioteaming:

Cooperative processes are not the automatic results of implementing collaborative, real-time communication technologies, but the result of a carefully designed and systematically maintained virtual team development plan.

For those of you who have already exposed themselves to the positive advantages made available by the use of cutting-edge communication and collaboration technologies, this should sound as a familiar melody. How many times have you been witness to technologically-based collaboration projects that have miserably failed? Why is there so much disjoint between technology potential and the productive use that business team members make of them?

If the solution is not in the technology enabling such networked business teams to easily interoperate, where is it then?

Read more of Ken and bioteaming!

Woulda Coulda Shoulda (Redux)

Yes, Mir was Hitchhiked here on March 22, 2005.

I have laughed so much since then, I had to do something and ended up with this.

If you had not read Mir before, maybe you will now.

Enjoy!

Island of Spice - James Ainsworth

James Ainsworth writes that he is

a freelance writer and journalist in Denver. I write features about music, entertainment and popular culture, particularly in relation to Africa and African Americans, and I also do copywriting and scriptwriting. I've traveled extensively in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore, and I lived in Johannesburg, South Africa for 8 years, from the historic April, 1994 national elections until March, 2002.

In "On African and African American Actors" he writes:

Ah, Bra John, "Their blacks are better than yours"? I think you're a little misguided on this...

Much respect, John Matshikiza--much respect... Don't get me wrong--your work in theater, stage, film and television is uncompromising. I loved you in that artful, stupendous film, "The Heart of the Country." Between the breathtaking scenery, shining cinematography, and passionate portrayals of idiosyncratic characters karmically entwined in the Free State, I saw a glimpse of the possibility of what real, world-class South African cinema could be.

Read the full posting here.

Read all of James!

What was I thinking? - Sela Carsen

So why is it that in the "Occupation" section, there's not a spot for Wife, Mom or Writer? Those are the things that occupy my days, but I suppose they're a bit nebulous.

Sela is a writer and shares her writing struggles with all who stop by. For example:

Wrote Synopsis

Did not die.

Actually, it didn't even hurt. Maybe it's the slash and burn writer in me, but I hacked my novella down to half a page in about half an hour this morning. Before my first cup of coffee.

Read more of Sela here.

Ypulse - Anastasia Goodstein

Anastasia Goodstein publishes Ypulse. It focuses on what matters for the Y generation.

For those of us not part of that group, this is a good place to keep current.

Read Ypulse!

Jonathan's Blog - Jonathan Schwartz

Jonathan Schwartz is the CEO of Sun Microsystems writes a blog.

As I wrote a week or so ago, building a user base isn't about rewriting unctionality that works well today, it's about identifying efficiencies and differentiation, and innovating to create value for consumers.

Read the remainder of his "Simple Future" here.

As a software guy, here's a simple (though often irritating) rule behind user oriented software: The language in which a product is written has nothing to do with the value it conveys. Coming from the company that produced Java technology, that probably sounds a little odd. But it's a simple truth, especially when it comes to users: if the app's no good, it's no good, even if it's implemented in Java. Or PHP. Or Rails.

Read the remainder of his posting on Open Office.org, Ajax and Common Sense here.

This should be enough of a teaser to lead you to set up to read Jonathan's Blog regularly.

Dilbert Blog - Scott Adams

Yes, another celebrity blogger.

Well, not JUST another celebrity.

Scott Adams. Dilbert's creator.

And it is a worthy blog.

Check it out!



Kudos to Average Jane for bringing this to my attention.

The Sneeze - Steven

Hey, how many Steves talk abut their Dolores?

Can't be that many of us, so this guy's gotta be good. I mean, we have something in common right away.

Except he eats this. And I won't go near that.

He blogs. I blog. See what I mean!

He even TiVo's Good Eats! I can't get enough of Alton Brown cause I don't have a TiVo.

Read more of Steven here.


Kudos to Average Jane for bringing this site to my attention.

Teach Me Team Work - Tom Heck

Tom Heck blogs on the coach approach to team and leadership development games and theory.

Tom writes

... there are six stages of development:
1. Restoration Stage
2. Personal Foundation Stage
3. Adult Stage
4. Attraction Stage
5. Fulfillment Stage
6. Legacy Stage (the most advanced stage)

The length of time a team has been together does not necessarily reflect where they are along their path of development. There are many well-established teams that are at the Personal Foundation Stage (and may remain there for the life of the team).

One way to determine the stage of the team is to administer the assessment to all the team members. Compile the data from all of the individual assessments and average the scores and you’ll get a clear sense of where the team is along their path of development.

This is good stuff on team work and team building.

Read Tom here!

Hog Blog - Sally Hogshead

Hey, when you have a name like Hogshead, you can't call your blog "straight from the horses mouth" can you?

Hence, the Hog Blog, is Sally's voice, which is behind her recent book Radical Careering and her recent interview as a Cool Friend of Tom.

Read Sally here at the Hog Blog!

eye 2 eye - Ian Macarthur

From the land down under comes this blogger discussing multidisciplinary, cross-cultural design practice, innovation & creativity.

Ian is also a frequent reader of cph127 (also noted in this hitchhiker guide)

In his blogger profile, Ian says of himself:

My focus and professional interests and practice are in the area of design management. I consider China, India and Asia more generally to be of greatest importance in terms of opportunities for design as a profession to make significant difference to the future of all people on the planet. I am interested in contributing to the process of educating industry and people about the need to utilise design in these regions in order to maximise the potentials of collaborative practice, new technologies and education to solve the problems we face as a global community.

Ian writes on East | West behavioural and thinking dichotomies

The Shanghai Swiss Chamber of Commerce swisscham.org recently commissioned Birds & Fish Communications to work on the development of a quarterly magazine appropriately titled “The Bridge”. Designed to foster more awareness of Swiss Chinese business relations in Shanghai and China generally the publication’s March 2005 issue featured a wonderful article “10 differences between Western and Eastern Behaviour and Thinking” by Hans J.Roth, Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai. The article describes the most significant differences between European and Chinese cultural environments. Although quite broad brushstrokes the observations can be considered a solid general guideline. I thought it would be positive to share the main points of difference highlighted in the article.

Read the remainder of this posting here.

So if you are interested in design and opportunities in China, read Ian!

hypocritical - Rick Turoczy

Rick Turoczy is hypocritical. In his own words:

Sometimes I write hypocritical, a blog on marketing. Its purpose, beyond feeding my pure unadulterated hubris, is to provide yet another forum for yet another a) frustrated writer, b) misunderstood genius, c) marketing slob to critique concepts, capture thoughts, pose questions, and share ideas, in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the art of communication. While it is doubtful I will uncover anything new, perhaps I will provoke thought or provide the right sugarcoating to make an idea digestible or inspire you, gentle reader, to comment, critique, and return.

He writes with Blogger, has been having problems with trackbacks and wrote about it when he identified the problem.

In his posting on Take my RSS feed, please:

Just think. A few magic clicks of your mouse and you could be hosting such previous gems as:

* Want comments on your blog?

* RSS feeds: Can't we just all agree on a common home?

…. and much much more

But that's not all, act now and you'll get all the lame posts, too. At no additional cost. Hearken back to the times we all groaned when I wrote:

* St. Patrick's Day, an increasingly vulgar brand that continues to remain popular

* Don't recreate the wheel that has already been created: The fine art of creating a satirical marketing site (and using the word "create")

…. and much much more

Well worth taking the feed for!

Idea Sandbox Blog - Paul Williams

The background page says:

Idea Sandbox is about connecting people with solutions.

Solutions come in many packages. It may be a person, a place or thing. When you have a problem at your organization - where do you turn? Who can you call? What do you Google?

Idea Sandbox is all about bringing those people, places and things together to help solve your business problems.

The blog is the creation of Paul Williams.

Did you know you could turn your photos into real postage?

If you read this blog, you would have found out.

Make it a place to visit. Who knows what we'll learn next?

Improbable Research -- What's New

News about research that first makes people LAUGH, and then makes them THINK. This is the official blog of the Ig Nobel Prizes and of the Annals of Improbable Research (AIR).

Good stuff!

Is it really?

This blog is worth $6,209.94.
How much is your blog worth?

Some would say: This isn't a new blog posting, what are you doing?

I would say: Patience, my friend, all good things take time.

What would you say?

Through the wall - Wil

The trial and tribulations of being a mother, a wife, and a triathlete come together in the writings of Wil.

Getting ready for my first Ironman in September, 2006, and I'm starting to feel like I might just be able to pull it off. A married mom of two preschoolers, here you'll find my insane account of juggling family, career and triathlon. Never a dull moment on this ride; promptly departing at 4:00 a.m. daily.

From The Plan

THE PLAN is the mile marker that jumps into the path of the oncoming emotional blob and slaps it around a bit – whips it into shape, you might say. Look at this, it’s almost over. Get it together - this isn’t so bad, have a gel, drink some water, get over yourself already and breathe. You know that spot when you get your wind back – well, all of the emotional smelling salt stuff of that spot is THE PLAN.

From Back to the Beginning

Physical ability can be carved, mental toughness can be forged, but passion must be born – it takes flesh and blood and heart and guts. And that’s why you must bleed to be the best.

Read more of Wil here.

The Boy Who Heard Music - Pete Townsend

Pete Townsend, yes, the one and the same as was once part of The Who.

What is well known is that I'm a rock star. You are not worthy etc. In fact you are worthy. And so am I. We deserve each other.

He is publishing his novella, The Boy Who Heard Music, in serial format via this blog, a chapter at a time.

Chapter 1 through 5 is now published... so you are not far behind, can catch up quickly and hang in for the ride to the finish sometime in February 2006!

Treasure Island - JD

Good advice from JD:

Loved ones! Please! Do not mistakenly assume that you will always be blessed with the aroma of love. Today, while you have breath, do something to say “thanks”. Creatively code your passionate irrational insanity into an unforgettable message. When you next rest your head on a fragrant pillow, breathe deeply as you wink into sweet sleep.

From JD's profile:

Flooded passages and the feeble pointing finger of a WWII veteran point our way to tons of burried treasure. This blog began as a historical account of the search and recovery of golden bars of Japanese war booty. It is written as a fictional image of what happened to me yesterday. I have four sons. The fact that I have zero daughters proves the existence of God (I could neither discipline a daughter nor resist her requests). Seeing urgency to love others while time remains as being the crucial focus of each effort, I attempt to occasionally interject the philosophy of love.

For more insights on the philosphy of love, check out JD!

Updated 10/31/05:
This blog is temporarily abandoned.

Oh well, I hope it wasn't something I said.

Never Work Alone

This is more than a common sense saying and a significant safety factor for some types of work, this is a new blog that addresses workplace issues.

Never Work Alone is a blog where you'll find great advice for management and leadership related problems. Each week we post a problem and a summary of the response from the great community of managers and leaders over at the Never work Alone Googlegroup.

Never Work Alone is a coproduction of Slacker Manager, Genuine Curiosity and Random Thoughts From a CTO

This is one blog to put into your reader and keep tabs on.

Who knows, you may have an opportunity to utilize it yourself someday.

Mick O'Grady - Mike Daily

Mike Daily is a novelist and freestyle fictionist who frequently performs his work in Portland, Oregon. He has recorded a 13-track CD as Mick O'Grady Trio (MO'GT) w/ Daniel Austin and Brian Crowl; a five-track EP and show as Slack Variables w/ Matt McCullough, J. Morales, and David Moscovich; and the Korean Grass Never Needs to Be Cut EP (listen to "Drum Machines") w/ Roads Less Traveled--all in six months' time. On March 31, 2005, Mike Daily performed live on KBOO 90.7 "Night of the Living Tongue" w/ Crowl, Moscovich, and special guest Rafael Katz. His second novel, As Is, is forthcoming from Almighty in 2006. Daily apparently uses Mick O'Grady to write about himself in the third person. And first.

Music...
Books...

what more could one ask for???
try the freestyle way of Mick (or is it Mike?)

Life Beyond Code - Rajesh Setty

Rajesh Setty has just published his new book, Life Beyond Code.

He is an Entrepreneur, Author and a Teacher (he describes himself as someone who EATs with passion!)

His insight on the tortoise and the hare story:

Stories can mis-lead us and take us in the wrong direction if we are not careful. If you really want to conclude "slow and steady wins the race", please go and find something else other than the above story to based your conclusions on.

My $.02: This story has run its course. When everyone around you is "fast and steady" and you are "slow", this story or the conclusion won't help. You need to change!

His advice on celebrating small victories:

Nobody is surprised when a small failure causes a major upset but everyone will raise their eyebrows if a small victory is celebrated in a big way. Both are extremes but each one gets a different treatment.

Happy people do things the other way around. It's fun to be around people who celebrate small victories. They are full of life and they bring life to people around them.

When was the last time you celebrated a small victory? May be it's time for a small celebration for a small victory...

Make it an event on your day to read Rajesh!

Steven's Log - Steven

Steven says Hello to Melbourne

Offers the view from his new apartment

And finds some chocolate afternoon tea

Now, why else would you want to read Steve?

Well, I might be a little biased, but the world can't have enough Steves!

Read more from Steven!

eHub - Emily Chang

Interested in the latest in technology?

Want to keep up with what is happening in web tools?

Then you have one place to mark and check frequently! eHub by Emily Chang

eHub is a constantly updated list of web applications, services, resources, blogs or sites with a focus on next generation web (web 2.0), social software, blogging, Ajax, Ruby on Rails, location mapping, open source, folksonomy, design and digital media sharing.

Check it out, it will be worth your time.

weblogg-ed - Will Richardson

Will Richardson is a teacher with a passion for writing and blogging, well not just blogging, using current technologies to teach.

He is the author of An Educator's Guide to Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other New Web Tools that are Transforming the Classroom published by Corwin Press, scheduled for release in early 2006.

He as a great summary of how to use RSS for education.

He has found out that it is possible to write up a poor version of a research paper, post it to wikipedia, wait a couple of days for the world to edit and correct it for the originator. Oh my, now that is using the system. As a teacher he is concerned about it. As a former teacher, I am also. But fortunately the output would be easily cross checked so the "smart student" should see their day in court.

Read more about from Will here.

Running Chick with the Orange Hat - Dianna

Dianna writes about her running efforts. She wrote about her training for the Hartford Marathon last year. She finished in 4:02, not bad at all for a first timer!

She is in her final preparations for this year's Hartford Marathon which goes off this Saturday.

Good luck Dianna!

Read all about Dianna's running exploits here.

Mary's Blog -

Why read “Mary’s Blog?”

Well, I’m a business developer & marketing troubleshooter (working with all sizes and types of clients). As such, I cover a lot of ground in this blog. I’ve been working since I was 16 and have had an eclectic career (and have eclectic tastes in work and life). When talking about me, my clients and colleagues use phrases like, “No BS” “Straightshooter” “Fun to work with.” “Cuts to the chase.” “A true pro.” All of which I hope is reflected in my writing.

One day I’ll talk about a cool technology. Another I give “down and dirty” tips about how to get and keep customers. Yet another day, I’ll make reading recommendations that may help you think outside the box.

Read more of Mary Schmidt here.

Kieran's Adventures in Slow Twitch - Kieran Snyder

Found via a posting about her running (she's a marathoner), Kieran writes in her profile:

Aspiring fashionista, as recently confirmed by co-workers. Paramount leg-wrestler. Sassy linguist. Both leader and member of posse. Good drinker, for some values of good. Marathoner flirt social impresario. I kick ass.

She posted today on Food is Love and I had to reveal my love of Fluffernutters (that will be the subject of another post).

In the meantime check out Kieran here!

Las Fashionistas

Las Fashionistas writes in the About Me section:

We are the Lewis and Clark of keeping it real, since our radio show began in 2002. Since the world refuses to recognize our talents, we are forced to relegate our shining intellects to that sellout sludge of all publication, that dungeon of unrecognized writing potential, that drain of all aspiring writers who just didn't quite make it, that kingdom of armchair philosophers who have the unmitigating gall to think that someone actually wants to read what they write, the Internet. Of course we skewer celebrities and the real holders of the coolness sceptres, perhaps out of jealousy, but they deserve what they get because we are unflappably honest and blunt. So A-listers through D-listers, and really, the world at large, beware.

If you need a fix with the latest in the tabloids, check it out!

Answer Girl - Ellen Clair Lamb

Talk about focus. Talk about finding a niche. Talk about Answer Girl.

The theme of this blog is "Terms of Art." Every day, I'll take a word or phrase of jargon from a specialized discipline and explain how you, too, can use it to pretend you have arcane knowledge. Feel free to suggest terms of art from your own professions or hobbies by e-mailing me.

What to know about:

Brix

Peristalsis

Hang Time

Stripper
No, not the one you're thinking of!

Read Answer Girl!

Track Junkie

Do you remember college life? Was is that long ago?

If you like running, then the combination here will work for you.

Track Junkie is a freshman at Fordham Univ in the Bronx, NY and writing about his cross country season. The daily runs, the trials and tributions of college cross country.

The smell of fall comes back again.

Enjoy Track Junkie!

Presto Speaks - Shelly

Shelly is "A middle-aged public librarian who has gotten addicted to blogging."

Addicted? And I thought I had a few blogs. Try this, Shelly is writing on 9 Blogger blogs in addition to a couple of LiveJournal and AOL pages!

There must be something here that will hook you.

Cyber Chocolate is her main blog.

The Write Stuff is her blog on writing.

Retro-Spectives is her blog for reminiscences.

The Malt Shop is her blog for memes.

Creative Endeavors is her photo blog.

Shelly's Book Shelf is her book review blog.

Shelly's Comic Book Shelf is her blog on comic books.

Impish Delights is her blog on what she is reading.

Alternate Reality is her blog on science stuff.

ImPress Books is yet another web site.

Now, is this the sign of a split personality?

or addiction to blogging?

or just one more indication that Blogger should add categories?

Enjoy reading Shelly!

being jennifer garrett

Yes, Jen Garrett writes at being jennifer garrett

She says in her about page:

Who is Jennifer Garrett?
Jennifer Garrett is not Jennifer Garner. She is also not Jennifer Eccleston. She is not a research associate. She is not an artist. She is not an actress. She is a writer and editor who lives in Jamaica Plain, a lovely neighborhood of Boston.

She has also set upon a quest to blog 100 blogs in 100 days. Good luck!

The Hitchhikers are not intending to compete. We started before Jen, so it does not count.
But we do get to count her as 148!

And maybe if she finds us, she can count us as something less than 100!

Read Jen Garrett and find out!

Off on a Tangent - Steve Garfield

Steve Garfield is a video blogger or vlogger.

His interests are varied within the realms of pop culture and technology.

You can watch his videos:
Video Blog - Local stories, personal stories, different stories. Featuring:
- The Carol and Steve Show - 'Real' reality TV.
- Vlog Soup - Vlogosphere tours start here.

Yes, Vlog Soup is to the Vlogosphere what the Hitchhikers guide is to the Blogosphere.
Hence, you very well might enjoy it.

Check out Steve Garfield!

Long Tail - Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson writes at the Long Tail. What is the long tail?

The theory of the Long Tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail. As the costs of production and distribution fall, especially online, there is now less need to lump products and consumers into one-size-fits-all containers. In an era without the constraints of physical shelf space and other bottlenecks of distribution, narrowly-target goods and services can be as economically attractive as mainstream fare.

You can read more in his posting Long Tail 101 or in the wikipedia entry.

Most of us normal blogger folks here in the wacky wide wonderful world of the blogosphere are "long tailers".

Long live the long tailers!

Read more of Chris Anderson here!

memoria technica - Gary Turner

Gary Turner writes at memoria technica. He begins to describe himself:

Gary Turner lives one hour north out of London in Northampton, England, with his wife and daughter and when pushed, he describes himself as a passionate technologist and a part-time hyperopic visionary.

He collects "unfamous quotations".

He started "blog stickers".

If I continued with all that he does, this post would go on for a good deal more. So let's just call it for now and leave you plenty to explore on your own.

Check out Gary here!

whimsical mystic - twyla

Twyla writes at whimsical mystic that she is "unfolding my own myth".

She has started Friday Favorites.

She likes Kabir.

She reads a lot of books. (Of that I am jealous.)

Check out Twyla here!

Tomorrow Connecting

The folks down in South Africa that make ?IC@TomorrowToday.biz a good place to visit have expanded to a blog focusing on stuff about HyperTechnologies.

Their first post gets into the details as follows:

TomorrowConnecting is a blog about HyperTechnologies - blogs, wikis, rss etc. I’ve set up this blog in a couple hours using Wordpress as the blog software, Feedburner as our feed manager, and some additional plug-ins which allow us to monitor traffic and let people subscribe to comments via email. All of the things are Open Source (feedburner is just free).

I have been following this group since I found them in May and I like what I read.

Add them to your reader!

I trust you will like them.