Patently Silly - The Humor of Invention

During the recent RIM court fight over their patent, I started wondering why the Patent Office was so busy. Research does take time. Understanding the intent of the patent application could be a challenge. Then this week I found a news article about a patent issued for a cordless jump rope.

 

Yes, cordless jump rope.

 

But doesn't jump rope imply there is indeed some sort of cord or rope there?

 

Yes, but there are those who get tangled in the rope and would prefer to get the exercise without getting tangled.

 

Ah, so the cordless jump rope!

 

Yes, there is such a thing: Patent # 7037243

 

and Alcoholic Beverages Derived from Animal Extract: Patent # 7037541

 

and Magic Bean Wishes: Patent # 7024817

 

If you would like to explore the silliness of some patents that have been issued, check out this site.

 

 

Technorati Tags : invention, patents, silly, blog, blogging, hitchhikers

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Wingedpig - Mark Fletcher's Blog

Somewhere along the GEL 2006 trail I found out about Mark Fletcher and his blog at wingedpig.com. The bread crumbs have been picked up already so trying to figure out how and where the twists and turns and clicks occured is too much effort. The short of it is that Mark is someone folks probably should know. if they do not already.

In 2003, Mark started Bloglines, a free web-based news aggregation service. Using Bloglines, users can search, subscribe to, share and publish blogs and RSS feeds. With the goal of becoming the Universal Inbox for average Internet users, Bloglines is the most popular news aggregator on the Internet.

I am a Bloglines user so I am thankful for the work Mark has done. Bloglines suits my needs nicely.

 

Mark is not a frequent poster to his blog but he does have good links to follow. Who knows what you'll find when you go exploring?

 

Read Mark here.

 

 

Technorati Tags : bloglines, blog, blogging, hitchihkers

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Smart Mobs - Howard Rheingold

A slight deviation from the GEL 2006 trail to note this cool site I found this week. Howard Rheingold wrote Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution in 2002. In much of my own explorations of the blogosphere, I have been developing an understanding of how to use the net to foster collaboration, teamwork, the "Power of We"... it is not surprising that this has been forecasted.

 

I need to get the book.

 

I need to keep up with the blog.

 

You might be interested in doing so as well!

 

Check it out here.

 

 

Technorati Tags : smart+mobs, Rheingold, social, revolution, blog, blogging, hitchhikers

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TrueTalk Blog - Tom Guarriello

Next stop along the GEL 2006 path, we come upon Tom Guarriello writing at TrueTalk Blog. I met up with Tom briefly during the Google party on Thursday night during GEL.

 

Tom is the Chief Idea Officer at TrueTalk, a management consulting firm specializing in connecting people for results.

 

He writes on design:

We need to get used to the fact that this process isn't creating "artificial needs," it's part of the great evolutionary process which makes one bird more attractive than another; one flower bring on more bees. We are attracted to beauty and wired to acquire things that attract us. What could be more "natural" than that?

Read the full post here.

He writes on the Microsoft Mini blogging efforts:

So, an anonymous blogger, expressing ideas that must have resonated deeply with a significant portion of Microsoft's workforce, plays a major role in helping his company adopt practices that will make it a better company. More competitive. More focused. More employee-respectful. HR pros: What on earth is keeping you from opening up this kind of dialogue within your company?

Read the full post here.

If you like what you have thus far, put TrueTalk in your RSS reader and keep up with Tom.

 

Technorati Tags : GEL2006, hitchhikers, TrueTalk

 

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Berkun Blog - Scott Berkun

Continuing the hitchhiking along the GEL 2006 path, I find Scott Berkun writing at the Berkun Blog. Scott lead the Thursday afternoon session at GEL touring Sacred Spaces and writes about it on his blog.

In my studies of architecture, especially sacred architecture, I realized that churches, shrines, and temples are all designed by people. There are no blueprints, and few descriptions, for them in most bibles or holy texts - so what you see in them is an expression of design imagination and talent, as much as anything else. I’m confident that most people can appreciate these buildings and designs in a non-religious way, if they choose too.

In the "What is this blog" section, Scott writes:

This weblog started to log the making and release of a book. Well, the book is out and doing well - But what to do here now?

Here’s the plan:

Weekly short pieces on:

• Management, teams and leadership.
• The making of good things.
• Design, technology and creativity.
• Highlights from the pmclinic and uxclinic discussion lists.

Monthly pieces on:

• As new book projects come together I’ll be writing about them here, bringing you into the process.
• Longer essays once a month will be posted here along with other book news, meetups or tour dates.

Read more of Scott here.

Technorati Tags : GEL2006, design, hitchhikers

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Personal Democracy Forum - Blog

Continuing the tour through GEL 2006, I wrote about the Personal Democracy Forum as founded by Andrew Raisej. There is a blog on the PDF.

 

Justin Oberman posted about a new ringtone "Call connected through the NSA" today.

 

Participant comments from the recent PDF event were summarized by one of their interns.

 

And if you would like to hear some of the podcasts from the PDF event, check them out.

 

Bookmark, load to your RSS reader, do whatever to check in on this site periodically. Is suspect it will be very important for all Americans to be fully informed as the November 2006 elections approach.

 

 

Technorati Tags : GEL2006, democracy, hitchhikers, PDF

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Learning Lab - Annette Kramer

The trail through GEL2006, also brings to light some other attendees who blog. I found out about Annette post conference, so next year I'll have to look for her.

 

Annette writes at Learning Lab. She says that she is:

a consultant and research professional living in New York City. Her work focuses on the tendencies, talents, conversations, and perspectives that lead to successful learning and innovation. For businesses, Annette specializes in identifying and building strategic alliances to leverage resources, expand brands, and develop markets. For teachers, she offers innovative ways to teach critical thinking.

She wrote about GEL 2006:

 

Craig Newmark

Jane McGonigal

Ji Lee

Linda Stone

Katy Borner

and

out of time on GEL

 

 

She also writes at As Annette Sees It:

Life is so much fun that it's worth noting as frequently as possible. Therefore, this blog is reserved for musings on all subjects that don't really belong in my Learning Lab a blog on sustainable innovation and creativity across contexts.

So, go forth and discover some hidden potential in both of Annette's blogs!

 

Technorati Tags : GEL2006, good+experience, hitchhikers

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Online Bubbles

Continuing this hitchhiker trail through GEL 2006, I wrote about Ji Lee's Bubble Project here. He has an online version of it as well.

 

He finds a picture from current media and posts it allowing all visitors to enter a comment on what they think the bubble should say about the picture.

 

Truly an interactive site!

 

You can visit it here.

 

 

Technorati Tags : GEL2006, good+experience, hitchhikers

 

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Seth Godin and This is Broken

Continuing the hitchhiker trail through the sites associated with GEL 2006, I find two more to talk about today. One should need little introduction, Seth Godin's Blog. If you have not found this one previously, do not pass Go, do not collect... just go there, add it to your reader (he has a nice Bloglines button to make this easy) and listen to what he has to say.

 

The other site, This is Broken, is not so much a blog in the traditional sense (can a blog be considered a tradition?) as an interactive site around things that are found to be broken.

 

Like: This ATM that will only dispense in multiples of $50

 

Or like: an unfortunate sign with one letter out

 

Or like: this unreachable balcony

 

So if you find something that is broken, you can submit it following these instructions:

Send us your submission: E-mail us a picture of what's broken, and a message explaining why, in an e-mail (broken at goodexperience.com).

 

 

Technorati Tags : GEL2006, good+experience, potential, hitchhikers

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Avant Game - Jane McGonigal

Like many games if you play correctly, you get a bonus. Well, this stretch of hiking has turned up a couple of really good blogs.

Jane is writing her disertation and blogging about the best sentence of the day. For example:

#51 - In the field of ubiquitous computing games research, these playtests are conducted on site; they are field tests as much as they are play tests.

#48 - This design concept, then, effectively performs the anxieties ubiquitous computing has about the balance of power between users and technologies, displacing these anxieties onto the relationship between two different classes of users.

#44 - But how do you make invisible computing visible?

In the mean time, Jane also writes at Avant Game

Jane writes here:

an open letter to going and doing

Mostly, I think and write and design and talk... and really mostly, I just think.

Sometimes, however, I go places and do things. I like those times.

I already have a pretty good record of the thinking and writing and designing and talking that I do.

So this is a new record.

For the going and doing.

And the cookie rolling.

And you have two for one going today!

Enjoy!


Technorati Tags : GEL2006, hitchhikers, avant+game

Craig Newmark's Blog

Continuing the hitchhiker trail through the GEL 2006 Conference references, I present to you Craig Newmark, of craigslist fame, who also writes on his own blog.

 

He writes:

I probably shouldn't shoot my mouth off, but I've talked to a coupla cops, and done some reading.

What cops, firemen, teachers and other civil servants need is good quality, affordable housing.

I understand the former World Trade Center area is available, and mostly office space is planned for it. Does NYC need more office space? Seems to me that it's more practical, and safer, to disperse financial institutions.

It's late in this game, but maybe if you want to honor people who do the heavy lifting, every day, give 'em a break. Is there some smart architecural team that could propose housing for people there that would be very livable? It'd need to be profitable for the land owners, maybe not as profitable as big office towers. Is it doable? or am I being a pain in the butt?

Read more of Craig here.

 

 

Technorati Tags : craigslist, GEL2006, Newmark, Hurst, potential

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Douglas Rushkoff Weblog

The Hitchhiker's trail has been full of twists and turns; work, family committments and some travel but this week will bring a special focus on blogs related to the GEL 2006 Conference.

 

Douglas Rushkoff, who had the honor of opening the full day of presentations on Friday, May 5th writes:

In my comic book Testament (now in a first collected edition!), I look at the same passages as a first and second draft of creation. My "god" characters try it one way, don't like how it turns out, and then start over. I'm hoping by re-introducing readers to the Bible as it was actually written and understood at the time (to the best of my ability) while showing how its stories apply to our current military, technological and economic fiascos, I can bring its power to a new generation. All while dispelling the hardened belief sets of True Believers. I'm going to show how the Bible was intended not to give people religion, but to get people over their obsessions with religion and the fictional character, God. (Obviously, the Bible hasn't worked out as planned. At least not yet.)

Read the full posting here.

For more of Douglas, check out his blog here.

 

Technorati Tags : GEL2006, Rushkoff, Hurst, potential, hitchhikers

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/personal - Niko Nyman

In the About Me section of /personal, Niko writes:

Just like a blog should be, this blog is about my personal opinions on my personal interests. And right now I’m interested in the following topics:

• Corporate blogging. How businesses can use blogging to their advantage and what does blogging require from the companies.
• Future of music business. How the music industry is coping with the changes brought on by internet.
• User interfaces for regular people, which I hope to be the future of user interfaces. I also like to call this the human rights battle against software. My new mobile phone, Nokia N90, has the questionable honor of being an example for my writing about UI problems on a larger scale.
• User experience as a business advantage. How to sell the idea of user experience? How to prove the business value of focusing on user experience?

Niko has an interesting layout for his blog using WordPress. Read Niko.

 

Technorati Tags : music, UI, blog, blogging, hitchhikers

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Personal Fitness Blog - Tim

From the About Me page at the Personal Fitness Blog, Tim writes:

My name is Tim, I’m a 25-year old college student majoring in Political Science with a minor is Psychology. I drive a 2001 Ford ZX2 (paid off), have a wonderful girlfriend, and live in Vancouver, Washington.

My Stats:

• 6'4?
• 250 lbs.
• 1-Mile Run: ~8:00
• 2-Mile Run: ~16:45
• Max Bench Press: 215 lbs.
• Max Leg Press: 450 lbs.

The Goals:

• Max the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test)
• Lose 50 lbs. by September 8th, 2006
• Run 1-Mile in 6:30

Follow Tim on the effort to reach his goals.

 

 

Technorati Tags : run, running, exercise, lose+weight, hitchikers

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Alan Watts Podcasts

I heard only one of these so far and I am hooked. I want to hear it again and take notes.

Good stuff from Alan Watts.

Great food for thought!

Give a listen.


Technorati Tags : podcast, blog, philosophy, eastern, hitchhikers

a penny for - Todd Sattersten

 

You my have read something by Todd if you visited 800-CEO-READ blog. He writes at "a penny for" as his personal blog.

 

He writes:

My reviews will contain books from time to time. I will provide link to Amazon to make it easy to purchase the item if you are interested. The referral fees collected will be donated to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, in honor of my mom - a breast cancer survivor.

A thoughtful disclosure.

 

Read more of Todd here.

 

 

Technorati Tags : hitchhikers, a+penny+for, blog, books

 

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MBA on the Run

What is the value of an MBA? What if you could get the experience in a non-traditional way?

Try books on tape, walking amongst commerce, with periodic essays and collaboration amongst others doing the same thing.

An interesting project!

Check it out here.


Technorati Tags : MBA, education, learning, blog, hitchhikers

Good News Network

Hey, it's about time we got some good news. The Hitchhikers have found the Good News Network for you.

Check this out:

The Dalai Lama and Muslim Leaders hold a historic peace gathering

and this:

The fourth annual Volvo for Life awards were announced and the 2006 grand prize winner is Dr. Ingida Asfaw of Pontiac, Michigan. Asfaw is a medical doctor who has galvanized over 550 medical and non-health professionals in the US and Canada to give their time and talents to address the profound healthcare crises in Ethiopia.

read the full post here.

If this is the kind of new you prefer, then add this to your reader!


Technorati Tags : good+news, news, blog, hitchhikers

UX Magazine

UX Magazine?

UX Magazine sets out to explore, promote & discuss the multiple facets of user experience one article at a time. It is built upon the foundations of ProjectNeo, a global interactive design community.

Who?

UX Magazine is a collaborative publication by writers, technologists, designers, marketeers & business gurus from around the world. This project was created & developed by C. Demetriadis, H. Mann & A. Schleifer.

Interested in the user experience? Then UX Magazine is one place to stop by on a regular basis.


Technorati Tags : UX, user+experience, blog, hitchhikers

365 First Time Parenting Tips

Yes, you read that correctly.

A full year's worth of daily parenting tips for mothers and fathers just starting out. Written by a first time parent, for first time parents

Not a bad idea. A modern day source for Dr. Spock like info. No, the writer is not a doctor but he calls it like he sees it.

Try reading:

The First Night Out
Slung aound your shoulder
Under the Sun

and if these posts work for you, then put this site in your reader to keep on reading!

If you know someone about to be a parent, let them know.


Technorati Tags : parenting, tips, blog, hitchhikers

Limerick Savant

I believe it is good day when you have a good laugh.

 

If you have not already found Limerick Savant on your trails through this wonderful blogosphere, I suggest that you trek on over, enjoy the limericks and have a good laugh or two.

 

In his own limerick he writes about his intentions:

My aim is to needle and pester
'Til puns I inflict start to fester.
And now it appears
I have four more years,
Self-elected, to serve as court jester.

Read Limerick Savant daily. It is good for your health!

 

 

Technorati Tags : limerick, nonsense, humor, blog, hitchhikers

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Via Crucis 2006

 

For many Christians, this week leading up to Easter is an important one. Via Crucis 2006 is a grid blog with many contributors writing about the stations of the cross.

Both Mary and Veronica do seem to imbue a loving presence to Jesus beyond words.  Consolation -  to be with the lonely one. The simple act of wiping someone's face when facing sickness, suffering or death. Again, as Nouwen would point out - not cure, but care.

Read the full posting here.

Mark at Cowpi Journal remixed the Via Crucis Grid Blog image.  I love the contrast.

It reminded me of a line from the the book The Outsiders, which was written in the 1960s by S.E. Hinton, a then 15 year old girl.  The book was adapted into a movie in the '80s. In the scene, Johnny (played by Ralph Macchio) tells Ponyboy (played C. Thomas Howell)

Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.

Stevie Wonder took this line and did a a wonderful song based on it.

Read the full posting here.

I was in Jerusalem on September 28, 2000 when Ariel Sharon went into to the al-Aqsa Mosque, provoking what came to be known as the second intifada. There was a riot and the army occupied the area around the mosque and the Western Wall. Seven Palestinians were killed by the IDF. The next day the city was tense and quiet. Soldiers were everywhere, and everyone's nerves were shot. There was no noise except for the call to prayer broadcast from loudspeakers on the minarets that looked over the city.

Read the full posting here.

For the remainder of the week, check out Via Crucis 2006

 

Technorati Tags : grid+blog, blog, blogging, passion+week, religion, Jesus

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Blogidarity

Blogidarity kicks off this week.
Blogidarity is not just any old blog.
This blog is the result of a brain storm by Felix Gerena with the assistance of Team Synergy

Blogidarity will enable you to do more than post a comment.
It will enable you to take some action.
You can contribute to the cause.

Not just any cause.
The cause this month is Clear Path International.
Read the story of Ha and her success after multiple surgeries to regain the use of her legs.

With the assistance of PayPal, Blogidarity is set up to accept your contribution.

Subscribe to Blogidarity via RSS
Subscribe to Blogidarity with your wallet.

Cause 1 $ can save a life.

Technorati Tags : Blogidarity, contribute, blog, cause

Just visiting... no, more than that -- Erik Hansen

Erik writes in his one line bio

Might be in the middle of a mid-life crisis and just don't know it yet

You might recognize him from the Tom Peters Blog. He wrote Who Does Own Your Brand? recently.

On his own blog he wrote about his participation in the Critical Mass

I did join the Critical Mass monthly bike ride last Friday in Boston. Got myself to Copley Square by 5:30, on the way noticing a number of 20-something bicyclists headed in the same direction. Wearing street clothes. I didn't know what to expect. This was my first demonstration, though I'm not quite sure how to classify these monthly bike rides.

He posted a video of Jory desJardins at SXSW doing her part in What's the Secret?

Read more of Erik here.


Technorati Tags : Tom+Peters, blog, blogging, hitchhikers, Hansen, SXSW

Johnnie Moore's Weblog

Hiking along the trail, you may have been confused when reading something about Johnnie Moore who is not the John Moore (PDF) who writes at Brand Autopsy.

Johnnie writes at Johnnie Moore's Weblog

Both write about marketing.

Johnnie writes:

I work as a facilitator and consultant. I've a strong background in marketing and am interested in the human aspects of organisation. Some call what I do the "soft" skills... or the "touchy feely" stuff. I prefer to think I can combine a certain amount of business logic with an appreciation of the ability of humans to surprise and amaze us. I sum up the way I work as Authentic Facilitation - click the link for more about that.

Johnnie contributed a chapter to More Space.

Way too many organisational guides trade in complicated rules for dealing with uncertainty. None of them capture the real mystery of what it is to grow something new. It’s a bit like putting up an elaborate rococo trellis and not noticing that instead of a Russian vine, someone’s planted potatos.

In “Simple Ideas, Lightly Held” I suggest some simple practices that allow groups of people to make the most of a complex world, instead of making life, and organisations, complicated and rigid.

Read more of Johnnie Moore here.

Technorati Tags : Moore, Johnnie, marketing, More+Space, blog, hitchhikers

Marketing Momentum - Mary Ann Davis

Mary Ann Davis writes at Marketing Momentum. She is

A marketing professional interested in learning the latest on marketing trends and the fine science of reaching targeted audiences as we move towards a more customized media society.

She writes on Corporate Branding in Sports Going Too Far:

Personally, I think commercialism has gone too far when stadiums, and most certainly teams, are being named after companies. Going from a mentality of dedicating a stadium to those who lost their lives in World Wars I & II to intentionally seeking to name a stadium after a company that's willing to pay the most, is just sad.

Professionally, as a marketer, renaming a team is like renaming a brand. It's extreamly challenging because of issues like consumer loyalty and perception. I would imagine it would be even more difficult as team fans express such loyalty that it becomes a cultural way of life.

It looks like that she will expand her writing into another blog as she begins teaching a class on blogging in the fall at Hagerstown Community College.

You get two blogs for the hitchhiker effort today.

1) established -> Marketing Momentum

2) just starting -> Teaching to Blog

Technorati Tags : blog, blogging, marketing, teaching, hitchhikers

The Moleskin - Kelsey Ruger

Kelsey Ruger writes at The Moleskin

Think. Try. Teach

The Moleskin is my tiny corner of the web. It is a collection of creative work, thoughts and lessons that represent my thinking on my various areas of interest.

In his About section, he writes:

So what kind of name is the Moleskin? If you’re thinking that is a randomly selected name – it’s not. There really is a story behind the name. For years now I have kept a small notebook for jotting down notes, thoughts and sketches that pop into my head from time to time. There was even a point where I wrote a few poems in my notebook. Recently, I wanted to switch to a small less cumbersome book. That’s when I ran across a small black book called the Moleskine (pronounced Moleskina)

The Moleskine is the legendary notebook used by European artists and writers during the 19th and 20th centuries – from Ernest Hemingway to Vincent Van Gogh. A simple black rectangle with squared or lined pages, end leaves held by an elastic band , an inside pocket for loose sheets the Moleskine is handy tool for keeping up with your thoughts.

The Moleskine is bound in Moleskin (Get it?) which gives it its name. This pocket-sized book contained notes, stories, thoughts and impressions before they turned into the pages of books that have been read the world over. While I am not promising that things I write about on The Moleskin will ever end up in a book - it is a collection of creative work, thoughts and lessons that represent my thinking on my various areas of interest.

I happened to be hiking by when he posted on CSS

Back in the day when you needed inspiration for your site there were places like Cool Home Pages and How Design where you could see what and how other designers were doing things. With web standards and CSS becoming more the norm for building your site a lot of CSS galleries have emerged over the last year. One of the great things about the web standards movement is that alot more people are willing to share the work that they have done with CSS and XHTML. So if you are a designer or developer looking for inspiration for your latest project here is my (somewhat) definitive list of CSS galleries. Most of these galleries have some type of RSS feed, so you can keep track of them with your favorite RSS reader.

The hitchhiker trail leads me into the CSS galleries but you can read more of Kelsey here.

Technorati Tags : CSS, hitchhikers, moleskin, blog, blogging

Musings of a Social Architect - Amy Jo Kim

Amy Jo Kim writes at Musings of a Social Architect

Part of her BIO reads as follows:

Amy Jo Kim is an internationally-known designer of social games and gaming environments for clients like Digital Chocolate,Electronic Arts, eBay, Limelife, and Yahoo!. Her expertise in community architecture and social systems design was showcased in her book, Community Building on the Web, a design handbook for networked communities. This "cult classic" is available in 7 languages, and has become required reading in game design studios and univerity classes worldwide.

She wrote about Digg

I'm doing some research on Digg for a client project, and during this process I've run across a number of good articles about the site. So I thought I'd share 'em. Good reading if you're interested in learning more about this fascinating and influential site.

• Wikipedia entry for Digg
• Wired News story on Digg
• TechCrunch: The Power of Digg
• How digg Uncovers the News.
• Digg Argues It Has Ways to Prevent Manipulation.
• Alex Bosworth's Weblog: Dynamics of Digg.
  

Which has caught enough of my attention that I need to go explore Digg.

Catch you on the trail later!

Technorati Tags : architect, social, Digg, hitchhikers, blog

Blogging in Paris - Claude Covo-Farchi

Claude Covo-Farchi writes at Blogging in Paris

She writes of Family Lore

Family lore says that Léa, my grandmother, when she turned sixty, sat down and said:
“Now I’m old and I am not going to work any longer”.
My brother, who was born in 1934, remembers how during the war, when the family had to cross the demarcation line which separated the Occupied zone from the Free zone of France, our grandmother said that she was too old to go on, sat down on a tree trunk and said she wouldn’t go any further and that was that. To which my mother got furious and ordered her mother-in-law to get up and walk if she didn’t want to put the whole family in danger.

She writes of Willy Ronis, Ageing and me

Went back to see Willy Ronis’s photo exhibition at Hôtel de Ville, as I didn’t have time to see all of it last time — I mentioned this exhibition at the bottom of this post. There was an interesting movie about Ronis, in which he talks about his life and his photographer’s career, and how he loved photographing people. At one point he quoted Trotsky who said that Old age is the most unexpected of all things that happen to a man.Ronis then went on to tell how at age 85 or so, his legs betrayed him and he couldn’t walk around Paris taking photos any longer as he had to use two walking sticks. It was a case of either walking, or taking photographs, as he needed both hands to lean on his sticks.

Read more of Claude at Blogging in Paris

Technorati Tags : Paris, blog, blogging, hitchhiker

The Dilbert Blog - Scott Adams

If you can't get enough of Dilbert in the daily comic from your local paper, you might want to load The Dilbert Blog in your RSS reader.

 

Scott Adams writes at length about some of the items that he normally covers in three panes.

 

For example, on Free Will

I don’t believe in free will. That’s partly because it’s indefinable in any sensible way, i.e. you have to assume that the rules of cause and effect are optional for your brain chemistry. Second, it doesn’t do a good job of predicting behavior. No one would choose to be a drug addict or a pedophile, just to pick two examples.

I prefer my own theory. I call it the Pleasure Unit Theory. It does a much better job describing behavior, and it goes like this.

Pleasure Unit Theory: People organize their lives to get their minimum required units of pleasure. While individuals vary in terms of how many units of pleasure they need, everyone is striving to reach their personal minimum.

And on Dancing:

For those of you who have never taken a dance class, it goes something like this. First, the instructor demonstrates some footwork a bit too fast for you to have any frickin’ idea what he did. Luckily he repeats the demonstration several times, each time differently as far as you can tell. And often you can’t see the demonstration at all because a big guy named Tim is standing in your way.

Armed with this lack of information, you take your partner and proceed to humiliate yourself by moving randomly and hoping that this flailing somehow turns into dancing over time.

and on creating words

According to the Internet, I have become a prolific coiner of phrases. You can do a Google search on any of these gems and get all kinds of hits.

The Dilbert Principle
Dilbertian
Catbert
PHB
Rat Dance
Frooglepoopillion
Elbonian
Induhvidual

And more recently in this Blog, BOCTAOE and YSLE. If you haven’t been paying attention, those mean “But Of Course There Are Obvious Exceptions” and “You Stupid Lemon-Eater.”

Read more at The Dilbert Blog.

This is the number one business blog in the world. BOCTAOE!

 

 

Technorati Tags : Dilbert, hitchhikers, blog, blogging, language, BOCTAOE

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ze frank

ze frank by the numbers:

1 - this is my blog. sometimes i don't write for a while. that usually means that i am doing something else. i don't forget about you though. i like you.

 

2 - these are things that i made for you to look at. click on them. when i add something new, i'll post it in my blog (see 1).

 

and so it goes...

 

a most interesting site.

 

he recaps the news today.

 

he provides this link to the coalition fatalities for the War in Iraq shown in time phased and superimposed on the map of Iraq. Stunning!

 

 

Technorati Tags : blog, blogging, hitchhiker

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I Speak of Dreams - Liz Ditz

From her about me section, Liz writes:

I am a 3rd generation Californian. Some life themes:

*organizations in the start-up phases: I was in the second graduating class from The Athenian School; I started working for the Cato Institute in its first year of existence; I was an early board member of the Yosemite Foundation; my daughter was in the third graduating class from The Girls' Middle School.

*wilderness learning: I went to Outward Bound in 1967, when the only women's course available was canoing in the Boundary Waters Wilderness. I went on several National Outdoor Leadership expeditions, incluing climbing Mount McKinley (Denali) in 1973.

*not-for-profit (or public-benefit) corporations: I've served on the boards of the Athenian School; The Yosemite Fund; Filoli; and The Girls' Middle School.

*Skepticism and Education: Someone I know well has a specific learning disability (dyslexia). In the course of helping her become a reader and a scholar, I've found a great many "treatments" that have no basis in evidence. There are also fads in education, such as whole language, that damage students. I write about both.

She writes on Academic Entitlements & More Bad Parenting

She writes on Dressing Your Chid Like a Slut

 

Read more of Liz at I Speak of Dreams.

 

Technorati Tags : dreams, education, hitchhiker

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Languge Log - Group Blog

Language Log is a group blog about language nuances.

 

What do you mean nuances?

 

Well how about "I found my snowclone in Palo Alto" which gets into the play on words from the old song "I left my heart in San Francisco"

 

So, what else do they write about?

 

How about the "Vanishing Slurs" where a Cole Porter song originally had words with racial slurs and over time these have been changed to become less challenging interpretations of the same song.

 

Hey, that sounds pretty good!

 

Great, read more of the Language Log here.

 

Technorati Tags : language, use, usage, proper, blog, hitchhiker

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Kinetic Ideas: A Marketing Blog - Wendy Maynard, the Marketing Maven

From Wendy's About page:

What is a Maven? Well, the American Heritage Dictionary says a maven is: a person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert. Personally though, I prefer the definition found in the Princeton University’s WordNet: someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field.

And although I could tell you these definitions are the reasons I decided to call myself the Marketing Maven, I think what it really boils down to is my childhood dream of being Wonder Woman. Since I couldn’t very well run around as an adult calling myself by a superhero name, I picked the next best thing - a semi-adult version if you will.

She has posted recently on Online Publishers! Subscriber Response Rates

Average open rate of HTML and Text/HTML newsletters is 29.7% over the past 30 days.

Sunday generates the highest average open rate of 41.1%, followed by Saturday at 36.7% for newsletter sent date.

She has advice for Break the Feast or Famine Cycle in Your Business

Make time in your schedule for marketing. If you don’t have enough time for this important function, then learn the power of “no.” Treat your marketing time as if it were time with your customers. In other words, it is a non-negotiable aspect of your week that you keep on your calendar.

Don’t break into this time to schedule customer activities. Instead, tell a new customer, “I’m sorry I can’t fit you into my schedule this week. However, I do have time next week (or next month).”

Don’t be frightened of saying “no.” Two things will happen as a part of this approach. The first is that you begin to create demand for your services or products.You reinforce that you are offering a high value to your customers. They will be willing to wait.

Read more of Wendy here!

 

 

Technorati Tags : marketing, maven, blog, hitchhiker

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LuLu Blooker Blog

Have you heard of the LuLu Blooker Prize?

The Lulu Blooker Prize is the world's first literary prize devoted to "blooks": books based on blogs or websites.

Awarded in three categories:
Fiction • Non-Fiction • Comics

There is also a blog devoted to communications around the prize.

Try saying this three times fast! LuLu Blooker Blog

 

Technorati Tags : blog, blogging, prize, hitchhiker

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Six Sigma in the Blogosphere

If you are interested in Six Sigma, then this site might be one to check out.

 

It is a group blog with about 13 different people contributing. Seems to be quite active.

 

Recent posts include:

 

The 360 Degree Feedback Survey (in cartoon format)

 

In honor of St Patrick's Day, some green Six Sigma projects

 

and a Brave New World.

 

 

Technorati Tags : SixSigma, blog, blogging, Hitchhiker

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Success begins today - John Richardson

John Richardson writes in his About section:

Success Begins Today. An interesting concept to be sure.

This blog is dedicated to all the travelers on the journey to success.

Have a successful day… today!

Simple, concise, to the point.

In Follow the Leader, John writes:

A precept of Steven Covey came to mind as we started and stopped in the middle of nowhere. “Begin with the end in mind”, played over and over in my head. How could I be so blind as to end up in this crazy line? After all, all these thousands of people were doing the same thing! How could so many people be so blind? If I had just asked somebody where the line went I would have never got in it. I would have exited out the south entrance just like we did on Saturday.

Following the crowd can be a dangerous thing. Unless you know the destination, the crowd can lead you places that you would never go on your own. When we examine the life roads that we are on we really need to know where we are going. We need a roadmap, directions, and a guide.

In On Writing Well, John writes:

The first audio book in my MBA on the Run series is a classic listen. This is a book that every student should have in their library. Entitled “On Writing Well“, author William Zinsser takes the subject of writing and breaks it down into four simple principles. They are Clarity, Simplicity, Brevity and Humanity. If you keep those four principles in mind, your writing will shine.

Read more of John here. After all your success begins today!

 

Technorati Tags : Richardson, success, hitchhiker

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Dealing with Darwin - Geoff Moore

 

From Geoff Moore writing at his blog, Dealing with Darwin, comes this gem:

Equity is not actually currency, it is ownership rights, and although markets are willing to trade one for the other, they should not confuse the two.  eBay gave up around 4% of its ownership rights to gain Skype.  That is a good deal if Skype can change eBay’s future earnings potential by more than 4%, a bad deal if it cannot  The cash value of the transaction is a distraction in this calculation.

Read the full posting here.

 

Geoff writes in his one line Bio:

I am an author, consultant, and venture capital partner, with a background in English literature and a wonderful family life.

In Value-based Performance and Performance-based values

Values-based performance characterizes collaboration cultures who commit to altruistic ideals, live these values in their work, and earn thereby the trust of customers and partners .  Performance-based values characterize competition cultures who continually hold themselves accountable to objective metrics of success, regardless of who gets uncomfortable.  The two cultures tend to repel each other, creating nice guys who finish last and jerks who drive Porsches.  But sustainable, good-to-great companies have to combine both.

Read more of Geoff

 

 

Technorati Tags : Darwin, Moore, hitchhiker

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A Study in Sherlock - Douglas Johnston

Hey, finding a blog set up to delve into one with whom I can't get away from an association with, is a sure thing to announce to the world that the Hitchhiker Team has found it.

 

Yes, there is A Study in Sherlock, as in Sherlock Holmes. Elementary, my dear!

 

So if you ever had an inkling to know more about the great detective, this is one place to put on your listing. Well done, Watson!

 

Douglas Johnston writes in the About section:

My other sites, a million monkeys typing and DIYPlanner.com (home to my free printable kit, the D*I*Y Planner), are more concerned with technological, productivity and creativity issues, but A Study in Sherlock is the home of my passion. Whether you’re a teenage newcomer or an elderly scholar (or a teenage scholar or an elderly newcomer), I hope you’ll find something to enjoy in these pages.

The game is afoot. Do not delay! Go to A Study in Sherlock!

 

Technorati Tags : Sherlock+Holmes, hitchhiker

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Orange Politics - Ruby Sinreich

Ruby Sinreich writes (with others) at orangepolitics.org. The About section goes into more details:

Although the title sounds definitive, this web site is most decidedly not. Everything here is explicitly biased toward the authors' and editors' points of view. Take that as you like. The purpose of this website is to encourage residents of Orange County, NC to get involved in their community by offering education and perspectives on local and regional issues. We also hope to enable productive dialog about local issues, to better understand each other and our community.

Ruby also writes her personal blog at lotusmedia

You get a two-for-one deal today!

Happy reading.

Living the Luxe Life - Stacy

Stacy is a voluptuary and writes at Living the Luxe Life.

What is a voluptuary?

The dictionary tells us that it’s a person given to the pursuit of luxury, and pleasures of the senses. For me, it goes beyond that, to embracing everything that's good in the world and that allows me to live a wonderful life.

For many people, that level of enjoyment seems best left to the wealthy, or reserved for special occasions. But what I know for certain is that that’s just not true. Luxury is all around us, all the time. And it’s not expensive (necessarily!) to bring luxury into our lives. Luxury, to me, is simplicity, perfectly executed. To me, it’s an everyday thing, and in part, a mindset.

I enjoy the small and large, the free, the inexpensive and the obscenely expensive yummies our world offers us all. If it's comforting or comfortable, I want to know about, and preferably experience it. I look for it all the time, surround myself with what I love, and most importantly, am grateful for every bit of it, always.

She writes on Discomfort, Lavender Vanilla Snow,
and Technology: It's great when it works! amongst her more recent posts.

You should read more of Stacy here.

The Practice of Leadership - George Ambler

George writes in his About section:

Basically, I experience blogging as Thinking! On this journey through life we all need a place to collect our thoughts, a place to reflect and learn from life’s experiences. This is why I blog, to think and shape my thoughts. Additionally, my blog keeps me motivated and committed to the practice of leadership, to keep inspired, to continue learning, exploring and connecting with people. This keeps me more conscious and aware of my journey through life and its possibilities.

He has a nice write up on SMART goals.

His tagline is:

It’s only in the practice of leadership that we influence our world…

How true!

Read more of George here.

/Message - Stowe Boyd

Stowe Boyd has a new blog and new endeavor. He is writing now at /Message and his goal is to get into the Technorati 100 in 90 days.

Now, I hesitated to do this posting. The Hitchhiker goal is to focus on the long tail. Stowe is not long tail. Sure, his new blog started out on the bottom... but he is not the average Joe just starting out a blog. When writing at Get Real for Corante, he was 1448.

What won me over is that if there is a game to play to get into the Top 1000, I'd like to know what it is. I may still not play but at least that is my choice. And you may be interested!

Besides Stowe does post on a variety of interesting stuff.

Starting from zero; Day 60

eTech Wrap up, the 3 Threes

Doc Searls on the Intention Economy


Read Stowe!


Updated 3/14/06 - changed 100 to 1000 as the target based upon a correction from Stowe. I had dropped the zero accidently.

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Mentor Audio

Are you into podcasts?

Would you like a 1 minute or 10 minute message from a mentor?

On topics like Courage, or Destiny, or Problems

You can subscribe via RSS to the podcast feed or to the feed and comments, for the 1 minute messages or for the 10 minute messages.

Check it out!

Antonella Pavese

From Antonella's About page:

I've always been an hopeful pessimist. I can see that the glass is half empty, but I cannot stop looking for ways to add just a little bit more water (or wine). I am always restless and seeking, because deep inside myself I know that I can be happier, that the world can be a much better place, that we can build much more usable interfaces, and that we can create better and more compassionate user experiences.

From When shopping online becomes a personal experience:

People add value to things. The sushi candle kit looks and smells better because a person made it, put it in a box, and wrote a personal note to me. I feel as I know Nikola. A picture of her and her two children, B.B. and Ritzy, is posted on the Sticky Wicket Crafts website. I know that she lives in Seattle and if I happen to go there, I can find her at the Pike Place Market.

Suddenly, shopping online is not anonymous anymore. It's about real people living in real places. Forget the mysterious vendors hiding behind E-bay nicknames. Forget electronic devices shipped directly from Shanghai to your home and made by some unknown worker in white clean suits.

From The girl made of glass:

I am still reading Necessary Dreams (and yes, you should read it too. You should read it if you are a woman; you should read it if you are a teacher; you should read it if you are a manager; you should read it if you still believe that women are "less ambitious" and care less about their careers than men do; you should read it if you feel overwhelmed and ready to give up.). Anna Fels unveils the many subtle and less subtle biases that have the net effect of providing less social recognition to women, which translate in a greater fragility of women's ambition. She tells me that if I feel overwhelmed and inadequate it's probably because I don't have enough support and recognition in my work environment, not necessarily because I am bad and faulty; and that this is true of everybody, not just of me.

Read Antonella!

The blogosphere trail is open

Troy posted:

The blogosphere is a giant time capsule that offers a panoramic view of our world. It is a collection of personal expressions that represent virtually every human perspective of our times. It is filled with millions of personal accounts, diaries, essays, stories and photos. It is filled with art. It is filled with emotion. It is filled with thought. It is our collective conscience. Better than any collection of books or articles, the blogosphere will capture the story of our existence.


I posted:

We still have lots of snow on the ground here in New England
but I look forward to getting to a trail and hike in the spring.

You get a water bottle, a snack, your good comfy boots,
your camera, etc. together in our day pack
and arrive at the trail head.

You sign in on the trail log.
Check the sign out comments, usually some good info there.
Almost a real time update that the guide book can not provide.

And start walking.

Similar to what Troy and I are starting here.
You can consider this a trail head.

We are both hiking in the blogosphere.

We have our individual likes and dislikes, our passions
and a common desire to share the experience with fellow hikers.

As we find a blogger voice that sounds like something you might be interested in we'll post it here.

We are dependent upon your feedback to let us know how we are doing.
So come back often. We hope you'll find some good things here.



Originally posted 3/3/2005

Yes, the hiking has been underway for one full year!

blogher helps today

Partly 'cause I am lazy today

Partly 'cause Alanna Kellogg already has a great round up

Partly 'cause I'm hungry

 

and

Partly 'cause it provides more links than I was going to do with one posting

 

You get to follow this link to find a good bunch of blogs from around the world

 

Enjoy!

 

Technorati Tags : blogher

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Paul Stamatiou

Paul Stamatiou writes at Paul Stamatiou.com. He is

... a 19 year old student at the Georgia Institute of Technology majoring in Computational Media. This is his blog where he talks about tech news, reviews and guides.

He is 57th on the Technorati Favorites listing so he does not need my help in providing exposure. But you might need him.

 

He writes about Apple

 

He writes about the Flock browser.

 

If these items interest you, you might need to read Paul here.

 

 

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