Great to know that the scientific community has published another study to confirm what many of us have always known. Birds that eat too many mountain ash berries in the Fall get drunk! Ever since a young boy I have enjoyed watching flocks of evening grosbeaks gorge themselves on berries and get drunk. I guess this research study confirms we need designated flyers when the birds head out partying!
Research on Drunk Cedar Waxwings
Engineering Super Heros! Have to love it ... move over Fantastic Four!
Huge accolades go out to the School of Engineering and Applied Science at George Washington University which just created ... drum roll ... RobotronMan! By day, Professor Ben-Tzvi is a mild mannered mechanical engineering professor, but when calamity threatens the world, it's RobotronMan to the rescue.
I first learned about this comic strip which features engineers as super heros via the Scientific American Blog. In their blog they mention and link to a study from Intel which notes: "only 28 percent of teenagers had ever considered becoming engineers and that only 5 percent associated engineering with the word “cool.”"
One week from Saturday my youngest son will graduate from Rose-Hulman with his BSEE. His senior design project was a robotic manufacturing arm which was sponsored and will be used by a local Indiana company. When I'm down in Terre Haute next weekend for graduation, I'll look for budding new superheros! In our family's case ... the creation of a new engineering superhero ... it all began with Legos! As parents and adults we all need to set examples. I coached a Lego Robotics Team for five years. This Spring is very rewarding as many of these young men are graduating from college and starting their first professional engineering jobs.
Please do your part to encourage our children to at least consider the sciences. Here are the first three screens from the Adventures of RobotronMan. I hope you'll link and read the entire series!
Screen #1: RobotronMan (click to maximize)
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Screen #2: RobotronMan (click to maximize)
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Screen #2: RobotronMan (click to maximize)
Read the rest of the Adventures of RobotronMan!
Every once and a while a new web based tool comes along which not only solves a need, but in a fantastic and unobtrusive manner. Doodle is that kind ot tool. Let me level set the scenario for you ...
How many times have you experienced this situation?
I never want to be the meeting coordinator. However, while planning a test of Google Hangout with a number of colleagues from other large corporations, one peer suggested using Doodle. I decided why not, let's give the service a try ...
Doodle allows you to create possible meeting scenarios and quiz everyone online at to their availability. Your co-meeting participants give their feedback, which everyone can see. Finally, the meeting host picks the date which works for the most people.
Finally, Doodle is free, and does not even require an account to test and try the service. You will need to give your email address if you want to be sent links which allow you admin rights for your meeting. In short, in one test I've become a Doodle believer.
Here are a few screenshots from Doodle. I personally think it's worth creating an account, but it is not necessary. Click upon any image to view at full size.
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And the other two tabs ...
(image comment: Doodle actually allows for more than three date options!)
There is an art to looking at the world through eyes different from everyone else. If you can combine this ability with practical business sense, the world will be at your feet. While I don't normally just re-post what I view via other blogs, this is worth every moment of your time.
One of most cliche photos in the world is a tourist at the Tower of Pisa. The learning tower just screams out with a photo opportunity which says ... "I'm holding up the tower!" However, what if what all these people are really doing is just "trolling for high fives".
Thanks for Laughing Squid and the Romanian blog, Jeg. Take a look at the photo given below, and then watch the video. Jeg truly sees creativity! The video immediately follows the photo.
And the video! Enjoy, think, learn and be creative!
I've used Picasa for some time now, but decided it was about time I also had a Flickr photostream. I love to take photos either on long bike rides through the northwoods, or as SkiCam Man during cross-country ski races. Here are two photos from today's bike ride. The weather was nasty (42F with 20 mph winds off Lake Superior). However, there is often beauty during ugly weather. Click upon either image to view at full size.
The Red Barn was just screaming at me to stop from my ride and take its photo. The red really stands out against the nasty sky. For the second photo my bike outlines the Lakewood Plunge. In the next 2.9 miles I'll lose 525 in elevation ... super fun. Albeit I had to climb many rolling hills on back roads to first reach that peak.
Both photos utilize HDR photography where I combine three exposures into one finished picture.
NorthStar Nerd Flickr Photostream
I've been blogging since 2004, with the past six years on the Typepad platform. This Summer, I'll surpass 500,000 page view on Typepad. Thus, I hope you will grant me the favor of considering me a serious blogger, with a decent readership.
For the past 15 months I have been searching for a good app that would allow me to create posts via my iPad. My wait has ended with Blogsy. In fact, this is my first official blog post using Blogsy.
The obvious question for this review, why do I like this app? Quite simply, it works! While not free ($4.99), the cost is inexpensive, and well worth the price. Although I use Typepad, Blogsy works with most of the major blogging platforms such as Blogger, Wordpress, etc. One may also easily connect the service to your favorite photo and video sharing services like Picasa, Flickr, YouTube and Vimeo. Thus, it is easy to pull multi-media content into your blog. Finally, you may import images directly from the iPad's native photo album app.
Although the service allows Google image searches from within the app, many web sites do not allow the Blogsy API to directly import photos, etc. My approach, which I actually prefer, is to directly use Safari, and save my images via Picasa or Google Image Search directly to the iPad photo album app. From that point it is an easy import into Blogsy.
Here are a few annotated screenshots. In addition, you may wish to watch a few of the Blogsy self-help videos.
This screenshot shows the built-in browser. I used Google Search to find the Blogsy videos, and then dragged the url into my post with the associated word.
Now I have presented two screenshots I took while blogging, and the process for posting them to my blog. I just tap the flower icon, and bring up my saved images. From that point, I press and drag the desired image to my account (Typepad). Once uploaded, I drag back the image to wherever I want it in my blog. (click or press upon any image to view full sized)
This process is a bit complex to explain in words, but actually quite easy to perform. The self-help videos explain and show the process very well.
That's it for this first post. While not perfect. I only purchased Blogsy last night. My investment of time in learning the user interface is about one hour. Much of this time was spent playing around with this post.
In the world of smartphones and tablet computers, have we lost "communal news"? Like most of my readers, I love these devices which keep us connected to the world around us. However, in our connectivity are we losing some of our ability to connect with each other?
While riding BART this past week during a visit to Silicon Valley, time and again I noticed parents who were absorbed in their smartphones, while their young children sat next to them. The children were still actively exploring the environment around them with curious looks towards fellow passengers, and watching the passing views out the window. How long will this curiosity last? What message is being taught?
Here are two images which reinforce this view. The first photo is from a phenomenal blog named "The Passion of Former Days". The author's byline says it all: "Exploring old photographs and posters to connect with the people who lived, laughed, and loved in years gone by."
The second image is typical of what one would see anywhere in the world. Reading is still a communal exprience, but my how the experience has changed. We're together, but are we?
Click upon either image to view full sized.
Then (original post: Reading the Papers)
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Now (original post: Facebook Before Tap Water)
Photograph taken by Kainaz Amaria of Bloomberg Communications
I'm as guilty as the next person. I own a Android smartphone, a Kindle Fire and an iPad (not to mention my laptop). Like you my reader, I need to disconnect and connect!
In closing, Anna Krentz's blog, The Passion of Former Days, is really worth a visit. I only discovered her work earlier this week, and it's already one of my favorite sites. Here is one final example from her blog illustrating my theme of the communal read, Something Just Broke (the assassination of President John F. Kennedy)
Understand that this post is being written by a Dartmouth man, but in truth this topic has little to do with either school. A better question would be, do you believe in open access to knowledge?
Some background: a few technical societies such as the IEEE and ASME control technical research publishing. Even if an engineer contributes a research article at no charge to one of these organizations (the norm), the publishers in turn charge a HUGE subscription cost for something they received for free.
Why Harvard? An article in Time Magazine notes that Harvard now spends $3.75 million per year on subscriptions to research journals. The Guardian explains: "Exasperated by rising subscription costs charged by academic publishers, Harvard University has encouraged its faculty members to make their research freely available through open access journals and to resign from publications that keep articles behind paywalls"
Why a Hypocrite? Ever wonder how much money Harvard yields from the Harvard Business Review? In the same news release about the cost of journals, Harvard did not offer lower prices for the Harvard Business Review.
Conclusion: I agree with Harvard and their faculty, but it would be nice if they followed their own advice! The concept of open access is not new, and many good sources exist to support this initiative including the Creative Commons, the Internet Archive, and the Directory of Open Access Journals.
Ultimately, we need institutions like Harvard to take the lead and "just say no" to publishers. It is reasonable to receive a fee for compiling research, but the cost has become to high. Quoting from Time and the Harvard memo: "some journals cost the school up to $40,000 every year, with the two top publishers increasing the price of content 145% over the last six years".
I actually have personal experience with this issue. About ten years ago I worked at turning my company's physical technical library into a resource which might be used globally via the web. The prices which the technical societies and services demanded were exhorbitant. In my case, I invited the vendors in one by one, and explained how we needed more reasonable pricing. In one instance I ended a business relationship with a quality vendor. One year later when they came back with a more realistic bid, we recontracted for the services.
My work experience showed playing hardball was required. We all need to take the Harvard approach. I just wish Harvard would also lower their price for HBR and set a good example.
If you have research, please submit your work via open access. Thank you.
In closing a view of the Dartmouth Library ... better Green than Crimson!
It's neat when your professional and personal life collide in unexpected but fantastic ways. Today was one of those rare occasions when because of my work leading collaboration efforts for a major Fortune 100 company, I met Andy Ridley who is Executive Director of Earth Hour. Andy presented on how his global non-profit organization was using Yammer as a means of extending his team's reach to all it's thousands of volunteers across the world in support of saving our planet. Attending the meeting were other Yammer customer from around the world.
If you've read my blog, you will know that I have a 500 mile bicycle ride planned for this August named the Trans-Superior Tour. The ride will focus on the beautiful and precious resource, Lake Superior. In today's Yammer meeting I made a challenge to the other executives present, and noted that a formal challenge in support of Earth Hour would soon be forthcoming. While my ideas are still percolating, not only will I challenge my co Yammer Customer Advisory Board members, but I will also challenge the many readers of this blog. During my nine day ride, I would like you in turn to take a 60 minute bike ride near where you live along the shores of a lake or river. I will work with Earth Hour to provide a forum where you may make your commitment, and also provide link(s) to information about your lake or river. Expect more soon! I'm not asking for money, but I am asking you to ride for fresh water.
For the moment, consider "liking" both this blog and Earth Hour's Facebook Page.
Do you love Lake Superior? This inland sea is the largest lake in the world, and holds 10 percent of the earth's fresh water supply (Lake Superior facts). For this reason alone, the lake which the Ojibewe call Gichigami, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow transposed to Gitche Gumee in his epic poem, Song of Hiawatha, should be on your list of favorites and deserves your support and protection.
Thus, this Summer I will be thrilled to bike the Trans-Superior Tour with my wife Molly (her blog, SuperiorFootprints). Over the course of nine days we will bike 500 miles, and ride two ferries allowing us a one night stop over at Isle Royale National Park. Our journey is sponsored by the Lake Superior Binational Forum. This organization's charter is to restore and protect the Lake Superior Basin. While Molly and I are not seeking donations for our trip, we do ask you to follow our journey, both via our blogs, the Forum's web site and their Facebook page. We hope you will learn something about this great resource.
Our slogan for this ride, which is printed on our custom jerseys, is "500 miles of love"! Having both grown up in Duluth, and given that by this Summer we will have been married for 29 years, the tag line seemed perfect. We're in love with a Lake named Superior, and each other!
Here is our planned route, and a photo taken of us today down at Brighton Beach on the North Shore of Lake Superior at the end of a 35 mile ride! Our trip starts on Saturday, August 18th.
Click upon either image to view at full size.
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Here are a few links to other bike trips I've taken in the region:
