Went sifting through my photos today and found this gem! Took this pic on 476 around Philadephia, with my brother.

OK all you folks out there do are masked by “the Matrix” of Ipod world. Here’s a rant that I hope makes you think.

I’ve been very careful to keep my eye out on the handheld devices market, as I am indeed a technophile. Though you wouldn’t know it. A few months ago a friend of mine reveled at the fact that while I work in the New Media space, I have relatively few gadgets. I think I’ve pinpointed a few reasons why. (Probably just to make myself feel better about it.)

• I’m a reformed money waster.
• I’m willing to hold out for the the item that I really want. Which usually means I’m not going to get version 1.0 of anything. What I want is something that’s truly useful in a way that pleases me, for a decent price. That usually means I’ve gone from early adopter to wait-n-see. Which is kind of hard for my ego. I’ve always liked being an early adopter, but there’s a price to pay to that vice.
• Fortunately because I work in New Media, I get the early jump on the news, which I’ve noticed basically satisfies my curiosity and interest for new toys and tools. Just being around the action allows me to share in the excitement without paying the price.
• I’ve been an early adopter long enough to have been burned by formats and technologies that either never take off (which leaves me out in the cold) or which I adopt much earlier than the mainstream. If the latter is the case, I’m usually over it by the time people catch on. Twitter for example. I was introduced to it early in 2007 and I’m kind of over it now just as everyone else it catching on.

So here’s an ode to my best and worst tech purchases of 2007/2008 so far.

The Best- Samsung U3 MP3 Player

Samsung U3 Colors

When MP3’s and the napster came along I was all in grabbing as much music as possible beforewe all got a conscience and starting paying our dues. I’ve had a few early adopter items. When the ipod first came out I was enamered, but not sold.

As the first version of the iphone came out, I knew that was what I wanted. But I wanted something larger than 8Gigs and was hoping for a 3G phone. Which meant I would have to wait for version 2. What I really needed last year was something small enough to workout with but something versatile enough for several needs. That immediately meant the Ipod shuffle was out,  (which I totally believe is a loss leader to get people from PC’s to Mac. A genius idea.) Regardless I needed something else. I did my homework, checked out several brands, and discovered that there are really a lot of great alternatives to ipods if you think you can break yourself free of the social norms and truly serve your needs. SanDisk, Sony, even the Best Buy house brand all had worthy competitors but in the end I chose the Samsung U3 (lime green) [Cnet Video Review]

Best Non - Ipod purchase of 2007/2008

I got 2Gigs of Flash Memory. Which meant I didn’t have to have an extra cable to mess with the playlists. A radio which is nice for long runs when I get tired of my own music, voice recorder and a visual interface. It all fit comfortably in my hand and was fairly stylish. My only regret is that I’ve misplaced it! I’ll definitely buy another one if I can’t find it soon.

The Worst -Blackberry Curve or should I call it the Boring Berry

Blackberry Curve

I had a palm when they first came out, then I had a Nokia 7800 phone with a fold out QWERTY keyboard. If I could have combined the functionality of the palm with the usability of that Nokia phone, I would have been over the top happy. A few weeks ago I thought maybe Blackberry had some time to get it right.

At first I felt so current have all my emails and SMS messages at any minute. But the novelty of being current all the time wore down to utility. I realized, that this was probably the more boring tech purchase I’ve made in the last 10 years. It truly is the “PC” of the mobile handheld device world. I don’t have enough time for all the complaints that come to mind. Good thing I only wasted $100 on it. Did I say I was a reformed money waster?

Speaks to me on so many levels. I just knew we were supposed to be friends.

One of my favorite films of all time is a French Film called “Amelie.”

One of my favorite sequences in that film is when Amelie describes a list of quirky things and feelings like Skipping rocks or submerging her hand in a sack of grain at the market.

Today I noticed I have my own Amelie moment. The conference room doors in my office are tall metal doors that have a corrugated texture. I noticed that when I approach the door I always run the tips of my fingers across the door to handle. It’s kind of like the tactical equivalent of the scenery that runs together when you’re on a road trip. Simple pleasures my friends. Simple pleasures.

I redirect you to my professional blog for today’s posting.

http://uxdesignlife.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/participation-in-your-experience/

When we were kids, we went to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. We drove down there from Wisconsin and had about 1 day to “Make all our dreams come true.” So this time at our family reunion, we figured 7 days would give us time to relax, as if we thought we know how to take it easy. Vacationing with the Bennett’s is always a whirlwind of activity. We know no other way. Get in as much as you can cause you never know when you’re coming back. This picture is the closest one we have to us looking normal. Regardless, we did make all of our dreams come true!

I’m not really a big fan of his music but ever since IceT has been on Law & Order, I’ve come to respect him.

Check out his response to what he thought about the Britney Spears debacle.

“My mama used to say, ‘You keep using the same ingredients, you’re making the same cake.’ If you want to make a new cake, you got to change the ingredients.” -Ice-T, October 2007

While I’m a little ashamed I even mentioned Britney on my blog, that’s just good advice.

Ok, so I love large community events. I think that’s why I love college football so much. I’m honestly not that knowledgeable about the actual sport. There’s just nothing more fun than getting together with 85,000 of your best friends and screaming your head off for no apparent reason. (Go Badgers!)

One of the movements that has become popular as of the last few years has been the advent of Flash Mobs.

According to Wikipedia: A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

I have only participated in internal Flash Mobs @ work, which in some sense doesn’t quite fulfill the exact definition, but I imagine someday I will.

Anyone want to try?

Here’s a great example

Despite being in love with my own thoughts, I defer most to all of them are borrowed from or credited to other people. We cannot remain an island alone. Having said that I once again defer another post to fellow blogger and friend. So when the world seems bleak, remember to stay in the moment and give a good laugh.

No Joke - Laughter Clubs

During my half- hour run on the treadmill this morning these are the 5 stories I saw as I glanced at the television.

• China - Earthquake 
• Oklahoma - Storm
• Hepititus Breakout
• Myanmar
• Florida Fires.

Who’s worried about oil now?

I can’t tell if this is a compliment or not.

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/03/blogging-is-good-for-your-social-life-study/

What do you think?

Wii mania swept through the cubicles at work today as rumor had it the Target across the street had gotten a shipment of 18 Wii’s this morning. Seven of them were purchased by co-workers within 20 feet of me. And if I hadn’t just gotten back from an expensive trip to my little brother’s wedding I would have been on the band wagon in a heart beat….As it is, I still made a wii-type purchase, without even owning the console. (A sad commentary for which I’m forcing myself to be totally genuine for this blogpost as a commitment to my blogging ideals.)

This morning I felt a rush of wind blow by me as a co-worker of mine tried to silently slip out on his way to secure the little white fun box that has captured all of our attention.

Start the internal dialog:

• “Oooh! I should go get one!”
• “I wish I wasn’t feeling guilty for a few over-indulgent purchases on my trip and the fact I had spent an hour plus gaming and watching movies the night before.”
• “But still, the Wii is a social game. I’d have more friends over if I had it.”
• “I can afford it.” Even though I have really looked at my budget in about two weeks.
• “I can always play at work.” ( We’ve got a couple around the building, but it’s definitely a guilty pleasure since it’s stolen time you’ve got to justify.)
• “But, once everyone gets one a home the After-hours Tennis Tourney will no longer mean anything!”
• ” You’ve already got plenty of things you’re not doing because you waste time. Don’t wast your money too.” ( Mind you I always find a way to waste both of them)

Time Lapse 3 hours later:

Standing in a circle with other jabbing about how they’ve all got one. I’m the odd man out. Two comments tipped me into a frenzy like a crazed pageant mom who’s found the edge on the competitors.

• “It’s only $250.” ( I didn’t realize people were jacking them up to above $400+ because of demand)
• ” Dude, I’ve been waiting a year to get one of these.” ( I can’t pass up the thing everybody wants.)

Jump in my car, and notice that yes indeed all the cars around me are racing to Target to get the Wii too! Life then imitates art, as my 1/12 mile drive to the store turns into a real life game of Mario- Kart . Run/walk into the store where disappointed faces tell me what I already knew for waiting 3 hours. They’re out. I’m off to Best Buy who supposedly got 18 as well today. Two miles later, I’m frantically looking for one of those annoying kids with the blue and yellow shirts! Why are they never around when you need one, but when you really are just browsing they gravitate to you like a bee to honey???

Yes they’re out too. I missed my chance for consumerism glory.

So I spent 20 minutes playing Mario-Kart for the Wii which came out today. 10 minutes in I realized I should get back to work. 15 minutes in I realized I had been smiling the whole time and now my mouth was tired. At 20 minutes I cut my time short right in the middle of the game knowing I could be addicted already and picked up two copies of the game. One for a co-worker who wanted it but could not get it and one for my nieces. As I walked into work with a game that I do not even own the hardware for I felt pretty weak and beaten. Beaten by my own desire to have what everyone else wanted. But as soon as I received the thanks and praises from my co-worker for picking up the game. It all disappeared. And I guarantee you an early birthday present to my nieces will only bring more adoration justify it more. Yes I’m still weak and beaten but I feel much better about it. With that kind of power the Wii just might return us to a good economic standing.

This weekend I ran the Charlottesville Half Marathon, with a few friends of mine.

It was a tough course but still really fun because lots of friends did it together. I ran mostly all of the race with a good friend of mine. This is fairly interesting since she is quite a bit shorter than I am. Every once in a while when we passed a few spectators I thought. That must be a funny image to see such an unlikely duo running in tandem.

At first glance, so I’ve been told, I have what people call a “runners body.” I’m 6′ 3″ and have skinny arms and legs, but what people don’t really know is that the magic of genetics and middle age don’t preclude “skinny people” from the proverbial spare tire effect. Good thing I wear shirts… most days.

Despite having long skinny legs, I’ve come to realize that even though my body looks like I have to run around in the shower to get wet, I’m still a fairly slow runner. Certainly it comes more naturally to me than weightlifting or sheer power sports but I don’t have as much speed coupled with endurance as one might expect.

Having spent a good balance of years of my life training for races I’ve never end up running I was determined to finish the Cherry Blossom 10 miler , when invited by another great but vertically challenged friend from work. I’m amazed and encouraged at those who determine to do things outside of their “natural” propensities.

Running with a partner is sheer joy in comparison to the mental difficulty of the boredom or singularity of thought one must have to run long distances alone. I tip my hat to the thousands of solo distance runners out there. As Sharyn and I battled the rolling hills that nestle themselves into the Blue Ridge Mountains, we discussed our own personal emotional obstacles we’ve removed in order to become “finishers” of what has become several races, runs, and triathlons over the last few years.

My Dad was a distance runner back in the late 70’s and early 80’s before it was mainstream and when the term “jogging” was popular. His response to questions of whether or not he was a jogger always came with a distinct and sure message “I’m a runner.” he would say. Personally, I’m both competitive and a chronic dreamer. A powerful combination if you add the right type of effort to the equation. But without giving it proper perspective in the face of the difficult of the reality of life’s challenges it can lead to a defeatist’s attitude. I’m afraid I misinterpreted his statements to mean that I had to always be competitive, or that somehow just being in it wasn’t enough.

It has taken me several years and as many failures before I was able to set aside my youthful pride to truly enjoy and relish in noble accomplishment of being a “finisher”. However I could not have done it without the support of my encouraging friends who have invited me to at least participate with them. The great thing for me about running with people is that we set the pace together. When running with a partner I let them set the pace, which chills me out enough not to burn up all of my energy for 3 or 4 short miles. These days, I’ve gotten to the point where I miss the days I can’t do something active and covet the days I do an actual workout/exercise. It would have been a lot harder to finish as well as I did in the last two distance runs without the companionship of both Tom and Sharyn. It’s true that the greatest gifts come in smaller packages. Thanks!

Will Kern is a ex-coworker of mine. He is currently works @ Mixx.

Check his post of wisdom yesterday.

http://15meanings.com/2008/04/14/sliding-doors/

I’m thankful to have been surrounded by amazingly talented & heartfelt people.

Have you ever found yourself running through the same rituals time and again?Here are some of the fun and stupid videos I find myself zoning out to over and over again.

Gotta love “Who’s line….”

App State beats Michigan. “Somebody give that kid a scholarship!”

Oooh Rah!

A little piece of home. Gotta love the Sconnie accents and blatant Democratic view points.

Gotta give props to my own videos.

A few months ago, a friend of mine at work approached me with the idea of training for a 10 mile race. The annual Cherry Blossom 10 miler. As I contemplate a move to the west coast I’ve been reminiscing of my time in NOVA. (Northern Virginia) I always thought of myself as an adventurous, and daring person, but the reality is I’m far more a person who likes creature comforts. I would expect myself to think of this as more of a great adventure. The way I’ve thought about it as I continually have visited. But as in the movie , Rocky Balboa (which was in my mind the best of them all) Pauly reminds Rocky of something he once said. “If you stay one place long enough, it becomes you.” That’s kind of the way I feel about NOVA/D.C. Like hundreds of DC-ites I know, I came here just after college to “conquer the world, expecting to move on after a few years”, it came lot harder than expected and here I am 10 years later, finding it kind of breaks my heart to leave it all behind.

Top memories that come to mind 1998-2008:

• Life in Warrenton, VA: Country livin, big city dreamin’
• The beginning of my professional life: Tech boom days
• The life of my twenties and early thirties: Footloose and fancy free, Fun roomates and hot dates.
• Life outside the beltway: I’ve always lived just on the outside of the mainstream.
• Young interns, Hill Staffers, Gov’t Contractors and Fed Employees: The people in Washington who do the real work.
• Places I’ve lived (My Northern Virginia) :Warrenton, Vienna, Falls Church, Fairfax, Arlington, Herndon, and Reston. The Old Dominion, Commonwealth of Virginia.
• 4 hours radius of interesting places to be:Times Square for New Year’s, Outerbanks beach trips, Carolinas, Shenandoah and Appalachian Mountains, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Navy Football games in Annapolis, Paw Paw, West Virginia.
• American History Geography: Revolutionary and civil war history is everywhere. (My current neighborhood was home to several civil war battles.)
• D.C. Specialties: Fourth of July on the National Mall, The Marine Corps Barracks 8th & I. Presidential Inauguration, Free/Smithsonian Museums, Georgetown Halloween, Balmy Summer Evenings at Wolftrap, Screen on the Green on the National Mall.
• Days of Infamy:9/11/2001 Pentagon, Supreme Court Election cases, Tech Boom, Economy Woes,Unemployment, War, Baseball is back.
• Friends & Families: People with ideals and courage come to D.C. to make their mark and change the world the best way they know how.

Here’s my tribute soundtrack to life in NOVA/D.C.

Old Dominion - Eddie From Ohio (lyrics),Magnetic Fields- Washington D.C., John Denver -Almost Heaven

And remember ……There’s nothing more evident until you’ve lived there.

In many ways conferences are like summer camp for adults. You meet a lot of new people, run into some old friends and learn a lot in a condensed amount of time. You feel as though you’ve found long lost friends, people you knew in a previous life because you’re bound by the common interest. There’s usually some drama created by the nature of debate. And while most of the happy hours and parties start at the end of each day, there’s sheer joy in connecting with like minded people.

It’s been at least two weeks since I returned home from the SXSW interactive conference. As I organized my notes into a somewhat comprehensible archive, my managing director asked all those in attendance to create a 60 sec (or so) video preso about their experience at “South By.” Given all the other duties I had to do that week this seemed a little daunting, since I really wanted to take more time to build out the message. In the end what I had time for (cobbling together some pics and vid) actually expressed the core essence of my experience which expresses the real education I got from of the event. Clearly there is power in cutting out the extraneous.

The background music is one of the bands I discovered in Austin they’re featured in one of the photos. The People’s Party - We AM One.

I defer today’s blog to the aim product design team blog about our Design Hackeysack exercise just because it was really fun to do. Cheers Everyone! I’d love to hear about your fun, creative, collaborative projects as well!

As of lately, I’ve noticed I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff! How does that happen??? Seriously.

I think there’s a magical universal time threshold that spontaneously adds more items of clutter to your household based on how long you’ve been there. At 6 months you auto-magically spawn more towels. A year later, more sports equipment. Two years more t-shirts and unmatched gloves than you know what to do with. Not to mention all the parasitic knick-knacks and post-cards that attach themselves to you from your travels. Birthday cards, and funny joke items your friends thought were so funny at the time.

The question is what to do with them? Especially when considering a move. Now I used to really enjoy moving because it was a time to purge yourself of unwanted baggage. Let’s face it, that three-quarter length tee-shirt from the top of pikes peak, isn’t really doing much good since they’ve been out of style before I even wanted to grow facial hair. But you get that stuff, because there’s an emotional attachment. You get that stuff to remember. Should have taken a picture.

Hmmmmmm….. take a picture. Lovely microscopically small digital pictures…… “Ohhh technology, I love you technology” ( Napolean dynamite reference - watch the credits to the end.)

Hence the T-shirt Graveyard is born.

Even cooler, Circavie.com allows to create a history of anything, add your media and present it in a timeline fashion. The best part about it, is that as I took the pictures of each of my t-shirts, it was so much easier to give them up knowing I could really keep the emotional baggage/memories in my repository of mental dysfunction without having to hold on to the item. The stories, jokes, trips, good times and the bad, came flying back in a flood of “remember when” moments and now, they’re finally documented for a time when tapioca pudding is the only thing I’ll find exciting! Keep on, keepin on. The emotional brownie points keep adding up as I donate the old clothes to the salvation army.

There are some days when you just get lucky. Coupled with an over-developed sense of yourself those moments can be dangerous, because you start to believe things that just aren’t true. For instance. Back in the early college days, when I was going to the Junior College formerly known as Ricks College. (That’s right Ricks, not Rick’s. The man they named it after was Jared Ricks. Sometimes I think they should have picked his other first name to name the college.) Anyway, Ricks JC is about 2 hours NW of Jackson Wyoming and the Grand Tetons Mountain Range and awesome place to be. Once after spending the day in Jackson Hole playing, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a haze in the sky that created a blanket of warm colors on the face of the infamous top of the mountains grabbed my camera and snapped a picture, just for fun. What turned out was the best picture I’ve ever taken my life, perfectly the mountains lined up showing the speed of the road winding behind us, surrounded by the car’s rear view mirror. This is a image I loved, because often when I’m driving I want to take a sousveillance picture; from the point of view that I have, with no spatial loss created by the apparatus.

Sorry folks, I don’t not have it scanned. But look at these photos with the same intention by Jeff Clow.

So of course, this experience could only encourage my own fantasies about being inclined to the visual arts. Inclined I think is the right word here, but a good photographer I am not. As evidenced to the world by my flickr pictures. Attending SXSW nailed this home for me, being surrounded by hundreds of well trained and talented photographers. Fortunately I think this might something I could definitely get better at in the future.