Inspiration whispers or shouts

I love TED talks. Simple presentations, effectively done, usually full of food for thought, sometimes quite inspirational, sometimes quite staggering.

And this 'behind the scenes' video on a couple of speakers gets into the hows and whys that the performances are so good.

Enjoy!

Behind the TEDTalk 2010 from m ss ng p eces on Vimeo.

Thanks to CC Chapman for the pointer to this and the inspiration today

Ride the Social Boom!

Do you want to stay current or will you be left behind? Your choice. Jeffrey Gitomer says it succinctly!





Thanks to Mitch Joel for the tip

YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011

Talk about crowd sourcing? How about 101 musicians from 33 countries, 5 continents all coming together via technology!



Enjoy!

Can you help Free Geek Providence?

Dear Friend of Free Geek Providence,

As you may know,  Johnson & Wales University has been very generous in allowing us to use space at their facility on Harborside Campus to process outgoing donations to organizations.  

 The "cage" at JWU transformed us as an organization.  We went from a group of motivated individuals, to an organization that has donated over 500 computers to organizations and individuals that might not otherwise have them. 

 We now know we are losing the space at JWU, and we will need to move out the first week of April.  In order to cover moving expenses, rent, and insurance, we need to raise $4000 in the next few weeks.

Free Geek Providence can remain a viable organization and grow to offer more services, but only with your help.   

If you have seen and believe in the difference a computer can make in the life of a child, an out of work parent, or a friend trying to make it through school, please show your support for Free Geek Providence today with a donation of $25, $50 or $100 dollars.

Please make checks payable to Free Geek Providence and send to: 

Free Geek Providence 

Po Box 603109 

Providence, RI 02906 

or With 

PayPal our

 at http://www.freegeekprovidence.org/campaign/

We are a 501(c)3 and all donations are tax deductible. If you have questions please email forrest@freegeekpvd.org or kim@freegeekpvd.org 

Thank you, 

Forrest Sutton                                                                                Kim Benevides 

Board of Directors                                                                     Volunteer Coordinator

----

Remember - if you are in the RI area, Community Camp is scheduled for Apr 23 at RISD and there are four free passes available for job searchers.

death and taxes

Several famous authors have uttered lines to this effect. The first was Daniel Defoe, in The Political History of the Devil, 1726: 

"Things as certain as death and taxes, can be more firmly believed." 

Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) used the form we are currently more familiar with, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789, which was re-printed in The Works of Benjamin Franklin, 1817: 

"'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." 

Another thought on the theme of death and taxes is Margaret Mitchell's line from her book Gone With the Wind, 1936: 

"Death, taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them."

Quotes from this place

Saturday started with the funeral of Dolores' Aunt Norma and closed with doing Carolyn's taxes. In between, many family conversations at the funeral and reception following. More conversations as the girls joined us for the NE Revolution home opener and dinner following. There is plenty of catching up to do. It was cold at Gillette Stadium but the Revs won 2-1 so that helped us stay warm.

time management

Time for #the5 this Friday

9 Twitter Etiquette Tips for Businesses Starting Out on Twitter http://bit.ly/e0qvYh me: 1st one to add, use common sense #the5


Our Group: A LinkedIn Success Story http://bit.ly/fOTV5c good group lead by @TimsStrategy #the5


Time Management: 44 Key Strategies http://bit.ly/fV2BiK me: love the graphics in this one #the5


Job Search Jam Sessions: Jason stays positive dealing with a pink dining room - http://shar.es/3R3u9 #the5


What to do After a Job Interview | Jobfully Blog http://bit.ly/hvCoCF me: good advice #the5


The devil is in the details. Do the follow up, stay positive. Can you really have 44 key strategies? Does that make sense? The graphics are good but there must be a way to boil it down to less than 44 strategies especially for time management! So I'll noddle on that while I get my run in before going to work today.

If you come up with a good idea, please feel free to share it!

Friday Fun - Cheap flights

I guess they don't have Southwest Airlines in Ireland?



Enjoy!

The right business cycle

Time for #the5 this Wednesday, let's see what the quick cruise around the RSS Reader has found today

80-20 Rule of Customers: Stop Thinking 20th Century! Attract Only the Top 20% http://bit.ly/eYPaGM me: good advice #the5 #sobcon 

Liz Strauss continues her series on "10-Point Plan in Action" with good insights on attracting the right customers. I plan on going back to SOBCon this year. Will you be there?

“Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”: April 12th Debut http://bit.ly/hvwTo5 #the5

Food fuels what we do and how we can do it. Jamie returns on April 12th helping to raise the discussion level on food and what and how we eat.

Use Your Words - A Berkshire Festival of Women Writers New Media Night Wrap-up http://bit.ly/hhGkbm from @writerjax #the5 #pcwm

Words reflect our thoughts, wishes, dreams. How we use our words can be the start of a good conversation. Jackie Stevenson writes about being in good company of writers in Berkshire.

LinkedIn Hits 100 Million Members [Infographic] http://bit.ly/eF5dwjme: good infographic touting the growth #the5

LinkedIn as a business networking tool continues to grow. The infographic is well done! Are we LinkedIn? Should we be? 

Working Money http://bit.ly/f3x3J2 "sense to know when chasing a low dollar isn’t worth it" good advice #the5

Chris Brogan continues to share good stuff. This time on working to obtain money.

What's #the5? a quick primer on what it is and how easy you can do it too! http://t.co/9KaR2hw thx to @cspenn for idea

And as a bonus link today, the background on what #the5 is all about.




So how do we we summarize what we have found today? Get the right customers, eat properly, use words well, LinkedIn continues to grow and chase the good dollars. There is something of a circle there. In order to get the right customers, you have to focus on the right stuff. In order to do the right stuff, you have to eat well. When you eat well, you can use your words well. When you use the right words, your connections can help your network grow. When you connections grow, you can chase the right customers for the right dollars and continue the cycle.

Quick link recap

In case you aren't aware of where I also write and share, here are some recent links:

My job search notes
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2011/03/stick-out-huge-hand-and-pull-someone.htm

My running in the St Pat's 5K
http://passionaterunner.blogspot.com/2011/03/st-pats-5k.html

A sherku inspired by the 5K
http://quietpoet.blogspot.com/2011/03/sherku-st-pats-5k.html

and plenty of info about what's happening in Franklin, MA can be found here
http://franklinmatters.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Codified transparency

"Codified transparency" - I like the concept!




What do you think?

Delivers Projects On Time Customer Delighted

Time for #the5 this St Patrick's Day.

Announcing Google For Nonprofits! http://bit.ly/ghBHv5 me: already on the road to communications with Google tools 4 @franklinfoodpan #the5

Yes, the Food Pantry website re-design is progressing well. Now I can also explore what this announcement will add to the tool set that we can use.

What's #the5? a quick primer on what it is and how easy you can do it too! http://t.co/9KaR2hw thx to @cspenn for idea #in

If you haven't heard of #the5 and wondered what it is, this is a quick primer on how it got started by Christopher S Penn.

Five Questions The Revolution Must Answer in 2011http://bit.ly/gkRrY3 me: #revs will have a good season with good answers! #the5

The new MLS soccer season is upon us. The Revs open on the road (as usual) in LA this weekend. These five questions are going to be key to how the season progresses. Assuming they find good answers, the season will be good.

What to Name Your Resume File http://bit.ly/gX4kFY me: in a digital world, take advantage of a good file name for your resume! #the5

Sounds odd but consider that the file name is a space where you can add a mark of distinction to your resume. I considered this and picked up the tip during the middle of 2009. Since then my resumes have all had something of the company name being applied to, the date, and the tag line "DeliversProjectsOnTimeCustomerDelighted" which is a key part of my value add.

(My race shirt from Pawtucket's Irish 5K. I get a new shirt at the Providence St Pat's 5K on Saturday)

10 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your LinkedIn Account http://bit.ly/fFDUo3 me: nothing compelling there for now #the5

I find these articles from time to time but I also find that there still is no compelling argument for me to upgrade. What do you think? Have you upgraded? Why? Is it worth it?

How To Sleep Like A Baby During Job Search http://bit.ly/fQ0Q1Cme: a bonus for #the5, but proper sleep is very important to a good life!

And a bonus link today! Maybe the extra St Pat's link will be the lucky one for you!

The bandwagon

Time for #the5 today

Be Irresistible: Want to Own Your Space? Own Up to Your Highest Standards! http://bit.ly/g9351e "Invite only the best to participate" #the5

Do you have standards? If not, about time to do so. Set your mark and live to it. The posting is apparently part of a series (each post is tagged) but not yet linked to each other. Don't hold that from reading the insights from @lizstrauss.

Show Don’t Tell http://bit.ly/gQds3v "incorporates the learning and the lessons into the medium" #the5

@chrisbrogan takes an example to show the message. Quick and simple.

Why Social Media Blogging is Corrupt http://bit.ly/honAJR "the entire social web is becoming numb" #the5

If, and that is a big 'if', I recognize whom is being mentioned here, then this post really highlights what is the corruption in social media. Look into the details. Speculation upon speculation is built to make the case. The facts are not checked before going down the road to corruption. If this is really referring to whom I think it is, (and again, a big 'if' as I don't have the time or wherewithal to go check), the whole thing is a misunderstanding. A proper reading of the newsletter subscription in question says that by following the process there will be this extra exposure given.

Some links to preview Be Different, in print and audio http://bit.ly/fLnvx5 me: count down to @johnrobison new book! #the5

John Robison has a new book and I haven't even read his first! That tells me I am really getting behind. The question remains, will I be able to catch up?

QR Codes Making Business Interactive and Mobile http://bit.ly/dQPKsG me: looks like the tide is rising for these - finally #the5

QR codes have been used on the last two PodCamp WesternMA tshirts. I proudly wear them  and showcase them as good examples of simple technology with positive benefits. Are they sliced bread? Absolutely not. On the one hand, you should be able to find out about the link before you follow it. A QR code is impossible to decipher before you follow it. At least some of the link shorteners can provide that tip to see if the link is really trustworthy. But if you trust that the business is worthy and not party to scam, then you can read and follow QR codes to get where they take you!

When you have a standard, you can live up to it. When you live up to your standard, it will be better to show rather than tell. When you own something, you don't venture down paths of speculation unnecessarily. Be careful with QR codes. They seem to be about to become quite hot as the 'next best thing' which means the scammers and spammers will be right behind them, ready to jump on the bandwagon!

What can you share?

"silence doesn’t mean they don’t have opinions"

How to Turn Lurkers and Listeners into Advocates http://bit.ly/eJYETj "silence doesn’t mean they don’t have opinions" #the5

Maybe they don't have the proper vehicle for expressing their opinions?

Maybe they need to be enabled?

Maybe they need a little nudge?

Whatever the case, I hope to further expand the contributions from Franklin folks on Franklin Matters. I have managed to recruit some contributors. This week I will be creating a "Voices of Franklin" section that hopefully will be more 'self-service' than hand crafted.

Blogger has a feature to allow an email to post. The feature can post automatically or in draft. I have it enabled to post in draft mode. This way someone can make a submission, it stays in draft and then I can review and schedule it (assuming it meets the editorial guidelines).

This is a step toward meeting two of my three objectives this year. You don't recall what they were? Shame on you! Kidding, of course. My three word goals are "Analogy, bold, conduct"

How are you doing on your three word goals?

FiberCamp Photos

I did a brief write up telling some of my adventures at FiberCamp on Saturday. Here is the full photo set from the day.




Enjoy!

Adventures at FiberCamp

Fiber Camp?
Yes, using the unconference format folks come together to share and learn about knitting, crocheting, spinning and other aspects of working with fiber. Wool, cotton, rainbows or colors, or white (which can also be dyed later).

Why do you go to Fiber Camp?
I go to volunteer to work the welcome and registration desk. The check-in process helps to set the stage for the conversation and experience of the day. And oh, I do get to meet a lot of folks. This is the second Fiber Camp, so I got to see some new folks and get re-acquainted with some I met last year.

Guido Stein (@guidos) tries out one of the spinning wheels at a vendor table just before his own drop spinning session.

There are showcases of finished projects.

There are displays of colored yarns of all kinds

After the opening session, the 'campers' came back to the main corridor

Sarah shows her current project

Sarah records how to do a particular stitch

Alisdair talks with Hilda about double knitting

If there isn't a good session to go to, there is also an opportunity to just hang out

Why knit?
This bag says something that has been echoed in many conversations during the day.

If you get a chance to participate in a #fibercamp, please do so.

Does that smell good to you?

Just enough time for #the5 before heading to the office.

Enfield ShopRite Gluten Free Nite (Part 1 of 2) http://bit.ly/h9Tlb9 me: this ideas should have legs and go elsewhere! #the5

Dr Seuss goes fishing http://bit.ly/fOom7y "There are really a whole lot of fish in the sea. The competition is tough but not impossible"


Attention: job seekers - Community Camp - Apr 23 http://bit.ly/fA82fi scholarships available for job seekers #the5 #in #HireFriday

Simplicity, Complexity and Identity Management http://bit.ly/efUGs6 me: nice graphic, worth exploring @trevthered #the5

Connect.me sign-up controversy continues - have your say! http://bit.ly/fvmIQT #the5

It is good to see an idea like the gluten free guide to food developed by the market, now if that idea could get picked up by other markets and spread - that would be great!  There are a whole lot of markets out there, not quite as many as fish in the sea but a few. How you meet and greet is important. The next person you meet may be the one to provide that bit of info you really need to land a great position.

Community Camp is coming to Providence, RI on Apr 23. This will be a great opportunity for networking, learning and sharing. Ideas like simplicity and complexity can drive good conversations. How simple is your pitch? How complex is your approach? A new website goes to one extreme (simple) and in doing so is creating controversy by not being explicit about what they do. They simply ask you to sign up. Hmmm. Does that smell good to you?

What can you share?

Attention: knitters, crocheters, weavers, spinners, dyers, and anyone curious about fiber crafts

For the fiber crafters amongst us, a good event this weekend at MIT.

FiberCamp Boston is a PodCamp like community un-conference for fiber craft enthusiasts including knitters, crocheters, weavers, spinners, dyers, and anyone curious about fiber crafts. Fibercamp is based on the fact that everyone has something to share and teach. Connect with the community by sharing your passion.

More about FiberCamp on their website


You can register via Eventbrite here


The FiberCamp blog with information from last year's event can be found here

Making your choice

Time for #the5...

what Dr Seuss does to your tongue, you shouldn't to your resume http://bit.ly/gI8vJt #the5 #in

Have you read your resume out loud? How does it sound? Are the words you use really the ones that come tripping off the tongue when you talk?

5 Absolute, Must-Have Apps to Rock SXSW Interactive http://bit.ly/e5k3jW me: a couple of useful finds here #the5

While I won't be going to SXSW, there are apps here that can be used for other conferences or events.

Change? It’s in the wind. http://bit.ly/dMJccH "people change when they’re ready, not when you are" #the5

Change is tough but in some cases absolutely necessary. How to manage change is critical.

Becoming a Conscious Written Communicator http://bit.ly/fzNI19 "eliminate as many variables as possible in interpretation" #the5

Part of managing the critical change is in the words you use, are they conveying the right tone, the right intent?

Goodbye Feedburner, Hello Feedblitz http://bit.ly/f8iZ1P @ariherzog states his case #the5

I haven't had the problems with Feedburner that Ari has had so I am remaining with that service. I have used Feedblitz and still use it for one blog (I think) I need to go check.

Enchantment – Video Book Review http://bit.ly/fYjs2b me: I just added this to the must read list #the5 thx @chrisbrogan

And a bonus for today from Chris Brogan. Attracting the right attention and moving folks (particularly in Franklin) from passive to active is one issue always on my mind. Maybe Guy does have some insights to help. It is on my list to check out.

In the photo, approx 1,000 runners are lined up at the starting line for the Irish 5K in Pawtucket, RI. They prepared in a variety of ways for this event and are about to begin. They have taken steps to get to the starting line, now they are going to see how well they prepared. Some may learn from the experience and change their preparation for next time. Some may be content to just finish. Life is full of opportunity like this. You make of it what you chose.

What are you going to do today?