Bend and stretch to recycle

With apologies to your Romper Room memories, I rewrote a few lines to help remember to recyle while you walk.

Bend and stretch
reach for the can
while exercising
help your fellow man

One can (or plastic bottle) at a time, you can come back from a three mile walk through your neighborhood with something like this:



Bend and stretch
reach for the can
while exercising
help your fellow man

You can take this challenge in two ways:

1 - Take a plastic bag along with you and remember these lines when you walk.

2 - As you walk, if you come up with better lines let us know via comment or email.

Blogging milestone

I had started posting on Steve's 2 Cents in September 2005 and only started posting on Franklin Matters in November of 2007. This week the number of posts on Franklin Matters (FM) surpassed the number of posts on Steve's 2 Cents (S2C). I had realized this day would come as the volume on Franklin Matters has been averaging more per day (particularly with the meeting live blogging) than the 1-2 posts I was doing on S2C. Two different blogs with mostly separate audiences and different purposes.

At the current publication rate, FM will likely reach 3,000 posts in January and S2C in February or March.

Franklin Matters can be found here -> http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

Pet Peeve

If you would like me to properly and effectively register your product, please make it simple and easy for me to do so.

Especially where there is software and versions and models involved, you should have an auto-detect for your own product so I don't need to select one and avoid selecting the wrong one.

The screen shot is from a Logitech registration page. They happen to be the current and handy item to slect for this pet peeve but most other vendors out there do the same thing.

This one in particular get me. The language selection indicates a drop down and there is only one choice (English). Some one was lazy and prepared for the future when they provide other choices I suppose.

job search notes: Chelmsford Networking Opportunity

For those in Eastern MA, this may be of interest to help with your networking and sharing the skills you have:

Hi,

I facilitate the presentations for the Technical Skills Share Group. Use the following link to find out a little more about the group;
www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/programs/programs/technical_skill_share_group.html

The purpose of this message is to request presenters. In January we will have presentations at 4 to 6 pm every Wednesday. The time slot of 1:30 to 3:30 pm is also available but currently being used for our Resume project. The presentations are done free of charge to our attendees.

We are working with www.bostoneventslist.com <http://www.bostoneventslist.com> , and have an agreement that we can publish event details (FREE) of our technical presentations on the website. This is a good opportunity for presenters to get more visibility.

If any of our presenters want to avail of this facility they will need to send me a brief bio plus a few words about the presentation and it will be published.

Where: Chelmsford Public Library, McCarthy Meeting Room
http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/library_info/directions

Past topics have been;
C++, Six Sigma, LinkedIn, Subversion, UML, Cloud Computing, PMP certification, Java, JavaFX, Netbeans, Database Design, VOIP

If you would like to present a topic to our group then please send me a brief description and your requirements. Please remember that we can not pay you for your presentation.

Regards,
Jim Drewniak
idmnstr2@comcast.net

Help Fidelity Contribute to Music Education

This is a good opportunity to share music and contribute to a good cause. Better yet, you don't actually have to spend a penny. Fidelity Investments will do the contribution for you.

For every card sent, Fidelity Investments will donate another $1 to buy musical instruments for public school students.

After all, what would the holidays be without music?

Click through to Future Stage to send the e-card and have Fidelity make their contribution!

Note: I was a long time employee of Fidelity Investments. I am currently working on a contract for Fidelity through Veritude but this posting is completely separate from those activities. I am a life long supporter of music and education.

BTW - Fidelity is now on Twitter - http://twitter.com/fidelity

Deja Brew - bottling night

Our current batch of 6 kettles was bottled on Thursday night. The labels for reference are as follows:

Deja Fest - Our newest O fest, nice and malty - DF
McTartan’s Scotch Ale - McEwan’s Clone – Amber & slightly sweet, some smoke - M, with Irish whiskey MW
Dean Park Pilsner - ACBBD – A smooth, refreshing light Pilsner - D
Llevar Porter - If you like Ravell , you’ll love this one. Vanilla accents - with Vanilla bean and Jim Beam - L
Hearty Christmas Ale - A hearty Ale, spicy, flavorful and inviting - C, with Pumpkin liquor - P
Queen Bee Lager - One honey of a lager. Smooth and easy, very light - Q




The brew crew update. Here is the listing of the 65 kettles and 48 unique beers we have brewed over the past couple of years.

Beer Total kettles
Hearty Christmas Ale 3
Killer Honey Ale 3
Llevar Porter 3
Stunner 3
Bavarian Pilsner 2
Gnarly Barley Wine 2
Goibniu 2
Honey Summer Ale 2
Light Irish Stout 2
Lobster Claw 2
McTartan’s Scotch Ale 2
Off Kilter Scotch 2
Oktoberfest Beir 2
Beaver Back Pale 1
Blueberry Ale 1
Castle Brown Ale 1
Chocolate Cream Stout 1
Crazed & Confused 1
Dave's Red 1
Dean Park Pilsner 1
Deja Fest 1
Double Scotch Ale 1
Downtown Brown 1
Drunken Monk Ale 1
Dunrovin Stout 1
Forest Fire Red 1
Greg’s Big Head Stout 1
Helles Lager 1
Jeff Beck Lager 1
Klawtobier 1
Lawnmower Lager 1
Old Man Winter Ale 1
Piper Scottish Ale 1
Queen Bee Lager 1
Ray's Bock 1
Red Head Ale 1
Red Rider Ale 1
Rocket Bock 1
Rusty Anchor Lager 1
Rye Blond 1
Sam’s Damn Yummy 1
Scotch Amber 1
Special Delivery Ale 1
The Rock 1
Thoroughbred Red 1
Tim’s Dim Wit Bier 1
Top Drop Dopplebock 1
Wachusett Pale 1
Grand Total 65

Section 508 Tutorial

If you are doing web pages and want to ensure accessibility this tutorial is a great place to start.

... Section 508 does not directly apply to private sector web sites or to public sites which are not U.S. Federal agency sites. In fact it doesn't even apply to the Congress or to the Judiciary. It also does not (generally) apply to agencies or establishments using Federal funds. So if it does not apply to all these institutions, what's the purpose? Those who crafted the law noted that the combined purchasing power of Federal agencies is tremendous. They believed that if the Federal agencies required accessible IT, then companies would respond by (1) offering accessible IT to the government and (2) rather than have two sets of products, they would offer accessible IT for everybody. At IBM in the late 90's, for example, the decision was to build accessibility into the entire development process - company wide. It just didn't make sense to have two sets of products.

But there is more to the 508 story. Section 508 provides accessibility standards for all information technology. Our focus here is web accessibility. But 508 covers all information technology and it is the only standard that does so. Computer software, hardware, and documentation are all covered by Section 508. When states wanted to require accessible information technology, they turned to the Section 508 Accessibility Standards to define "accessibility". Check out the ITTATC web site for a survey of state requirements for accessibility, most of which refer to Section 508.

For more on this topic, check out the tutorial here

Steve Sherlock is Social Media: and So Can You

What follows is a guest post from Steve Sherlock's birthday mate, Phil Gerbyshak
Social media is a big part of my life. I spend about 20 hours a week online, writing and reading blogs, on Twitter and Facebook, and cultivating my network on LinkedIn. I also teach people to successfully use social media to grow their personal brand, and take their business to the next level. After 5 years doing this, I've come to realize one thing:

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

I met Steve Sherlock a few years back. We started out as blogging buddies, sharing a space on a the Synergy Weblog, 100 Bloggers, and eventually, as part of the Ho'ohana Community at Joyful Jubilant Learning. We learned and shared the way of the geese from the wonderful book Gung Ho! If you're not familiar with the story, part of the story has geese honking each other on to achievement. Honk Honk! It's what Steve, and I, and the rest of the community did, and continue to do; we've helped each other find our way in the world.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

But it didn't stop there. Steve and I spent time taking the blog off the blog with phone calls, Skype conversations, and then taking advantage of travel opportunities to connect in real life. I've stayed at Steve's home in Franklin, Massachusetts, and we always get on like old friends. Sometimes Steve and his family would come near Milwaukee, and he'd always look me up, so we could reconnect and get to know each other a little more.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

I think most importantly, Steve has taught me about the power of asking questions to learn more about people, to pay attention to happy coincidences (like our shared birthday) and
sharing what you know by adding value where you can.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

It's really not that hard to be like Steve, or like me, whether it's your birthday today or not. Here's how you can be social media:

1) Seek out and show up in places where other smart people hang out - I spent time on the blogs Steve and I eventually connected at long before I ever left a comment or was part of the community. The folks there (Troy Worman, Rosa Say, Trevor Gay and Steve, to name the 4 most prominent folks) shared what they knew in real time. It wasn't perfect, but it was authentic and it was refreshing. There are now MILLIONS of blogs. Find a few with smart people and get to know the writer and the commenters. Make it your home. Get deep on just a few places and really add value to the community.

2) Take it off the blog and Twitter - Always make time to connect off the blog. Tweeting a link to your favorite bloggers post is nice. Spending time with them at a conferences is even better. Pick up the phone and call someone new. Chris Johnson is GREAT at this! He makes time to call people every single day. You can do it too!

3) Pay attention - Steve and I noticed that we shared a birthday. I noticed it was Stephen Smith's birthday yesterday. The more attention you pay to someone, the easier it is to get to know them, and the better you can help them. Social media has a LOT of ways to pay attention, so pick a few and use what you learn to better connect with others in your life.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

Happy birthday Steve! Thanks for sharing your space, your readers, and more importantly, your life, with me!

And to all the folks reading this post, thanks for sharing your attention with me! It means a lot to me, and I know you have a million other things you could be doing. The fact you took a few minutes of your time to share with me means a lot to me.

What are your best ways of BEING social media? Share your tips in the comments, and let's get to know each other a bit more.

Honk Honk!

Phil Gerbyshak is a professional speaker and social media coach based in Milwaukee, WI. He shares a birthday and a passion for lifelong learning with Steve Sherlock. If you'd like to connect with him, your best bet is to follow him on Twitter and send him a Tweet.