I just finished fixing the vacuum all by myself! Wheeeeee!
Month: May 2007
Rules for Career Development
I’ve been asked to talk to a group here at AOL about career development (no idea when, or really what the topic is). But, Jason and I were talking about it, and came up with this list of rules that I think are worth sharing, even if they’re not fully baked:
- Don’t be a dick: Translated – be constructive, helpful and positive
- Teach yourself something new on every project
- Be passionate about what you do: If you’re not, find something else to do.
- Get involved in the internal and external communities
- Repeat step one
- Know when to run: No one talks about it, but you have to know when to get out of a bad situation. I’ve been very lucky at AOL to know when it was time to move on to a new group or challenge. Thankfully, I’ve always found a soft place to land with new challenges.
- Expect change, roll with it, move on: Working in a company means things will change. When you’re not in charge, there will be lots of stuff that happens that you don’t agree with. You have to know when to fight, when to give up, and when to move on. The quicker you can do all three, the better.
- Update Have a support system: This one comes from Jen’s comment. It really helps to have someone in your corner – a spouse, parent, best friend or mentor who you can turn to. My wife is, of course, my most important, but I’ve had lots of mentors and good managers that have helped point me in the right direction.
- Update Be someone who gets things done: This one is from Joe in the comments, but it’s a good one. People don’t care about excuses or reasons why things don’t happen. Be the one folks can go to and get things accomplished.\
Cool, I think the presentation’s all done! Thanks, Jason!
Things to Make You Giggle
Because so much in the world sucks and isn’t funny at all, here are some Tuesday morning links to make you crack a smile:
- LOL Presidents – Be prepared to spend at least half an hour laughing. Good good stuff. See also: LOLPresident
- Flight of the Conchords – You can watch the first episode of their new HBO series online fo’ free! They’re insanely funny, and I can’t wait for the show to start.
- I Can Has Cheezeburger? – No explanation, just go check it out. Look out for the walrus/bucket series.
- LOLGeeks – More of the same, only geeks!\
Now, get to work! The weekend’s over, hippy!
Screw you, CNN.
Great news: US forces free 41 hostages held by al Queda. I don’t believe a word of it. This may very well be true, but I don’t trust anything the media reports about Iraq after the blatant lies reported about Jessica Lynch.
Just for the record
I will always need my mom. Even when I am 64 and a grandmother living off of social security and enjoying the early bird special at Luby’s, I will still need my mom. Even if there comes a time when she isn’t around, due to the cycle of life, I will still need my mom.\
Check it out: My mom and Me!
Paris Pics
\
Most of them are up now over on Flickr.
Au Revoir, Paris!
It’s been a good week in Paris for XTech. I haven’t been able to do a lot of site seeing with Jen because of a chest cold and my foot, but the food’s been good, the company great and I’ve learned some interesting stuff and met some really cool folks. I spent most of the afternoon in the hotel bar with Molly, Simon and a bunch of other geeks laughing and drinking (them wine, me Fanta and a Coke). Then tonight, to cap all of this fun off, Jen and I had dinner with Daniel Glazman and his lovely wife at a fantastic French restaurant. The food was out of this world, and the company was wonderful. I love Daniel, and am always happy when we get to share a meal. We both love food and giggle over each course, how it taste, how they made it, where the ingredients are from… way too much fun.\
It’s up early tomorrow, breakfast, then off to the airport and home to see the boys and hear all about their adventures with Grandma. Au revoir, Paris!
Tom and Kevin’s XTech Presentation
It’s called Open AIM as It Relates to You. I’m about to run downstairs to catch Simon Willison’s presentation, and then we’re up. Then, it’s time to pack, then go out to dinner with Daniel, go to bed, wake up, and then come home!
Eeep!
\
Going up the Eiffel Tower is freaking scary! Why I ever thought it was a good idea, when I can’t even stand by my hotel window and look down, is beyond me. Thankfully the top level was closed, so I only went to the second level. It took me 30 seconds to get off of the elevator and I couldn’t get within 3 feet of the edge, even though there is a 12 foot fence all around the edge.\
Yesterday I wandered around a local neighborhood, totally getting lost. I had my map, so I wasn’t really lost, but it did take the map to get me back to the hotel.\
Today’s adventure is tackling the Paris metro in search of the Louvre. Wish me luck! I don’t need too much though, because there are restaurants every 5 feet (so I know I won’t go hungry) and I can always take a cab if I need to.\
The French Presidency just switched power; it is super neat to be here for that. They didn’t invite me to the ceremony though, so poo on them.
Ghost in the Machine Podcast is Available!
I got e-mail from Hugh Forrest today letting me know what the the podcast for Ghost in the Machine – Spirituality Online is available!\
Mr. McNally did a great job putting the panel together, and it was a great experience all around. I was proud and honored to be a part of it. Go check it out and let me know what you think!