Sharing The Dream

I finally got around to watching ‘Angels and Demons’ with Tom Hanks. The movie was okay but for the most part, it felt way too easy for such a complicated set of event sot fall into place so perfectly. The big baddie dude I had pegged within 10 minutes of the film starting (I won’t say who it is) and it is amazing all the little clues that kept pointing in that direction.

The best part of the film was the line “Religion is flawed because man is flawed, not because God is”. All I can say is amen to that.

I have had an iPad for almost two months now. It feels like I have always had one, however. At first it was a novelty that just was to have around. Now I have it nearby constantly, ready to provide me with any sort of information I need. That part is not scary at all. The scary part is how I see my usage changing the longer I own the device. In the beginning, the usage was astonishing. I used the iPad to find me stuff, let me read email and keep my thoughts together. Now I have it loaded with movies, music, photos and a huge menagerie of items I had not planned. I even have a few games on it for social occasions. I figured I would be writing more with it but alas, typing on it is much harder than I thought. Perhaps it is the auto error correction or the sensitivity of the touchscreen. One of these factors combined with my poor programmers typing skills make for a mess. I spend a lot of time correcting mistakes instead of getting to the point.

We will have to see what the future holds with the iPod. I still use it too much.

Thursday morning will see me on my way to Canada on a missions trip with my church. I am looking forward to helping in any way that I can. I am bringing my tools both construction and computer as I don’t know what specialties will be needed. Space is limited so I have to take care in what I bring with me. A core set of tools for both disciplines and that is it. Anything else and I’ll buy it if needed.

I really have not had much luck with my Internet lately. First the speed fell to a crawl and that was fixed. Now I don’t have Internet at all. I am being asked to take another day out of my schedule so they can check the inside wiring again. This stuff I do not have time for.

I was on a website recently to submit my company as a possible entrant for a business contest. This should be easy enough but I found he following questions disturbing:

Describe the value proposition, including differentiation versus the rest of the market.
How big is the market? How do you calculate TAM? What is the business model? Be as specific as possible. I prefer bottom-up TAM versus top-down TAM for my analysis and dislike broad swathes.
What are the top target segments? Be precise and granular.

Huh?

It seems that we have forgotten a few things. Most people who start businesses do a reasonable job analyzing the potential market. They are trying to fill a need as they perceive it. They most likely did not start by reading through and understanding this kind of stuff. If you ask the average business owner these questions, their reaction will most likely be the same one I had. Huh?

I know that this stuff probably is important, it is a good idea to have a handle on your potential. But remember, the most important points are passion, drive, desire to accomplish your goals. These with a little luck and some skills will take a business wherever you want it to go. No matter what the numbers say.

The title of this post says it all. While many would argue with such a sentiment, for me at least it is true. I have returned to my old hometown only to find that it isn’t the town that I left. Instead there is a dullness to the colors, they are muted and grey. The mountains are lovely as always but the city itself is not what I remember. Perhaps it has always been this way and new experiences have opened my eyes to more that what I knew as a boy.

I returned to the neighborhood where I grew up. Many of the buildings are still there. Many of the fields I played in now sport shopping centers instead. My old junior high school is still here with a new sign out front. There are new roads too making it harder to navigate.

Change is the way of the world. While reflection is a good thing, we must remember the past so we can define the future. Keep a good heading, stay on course and look back from time to time so you can keep your bearings.

Time for a little more reflection on life, the universe and everything.

The last time was on an airplane (commercial that is), you could barely use any kind of electronic device. Today, through the magic of technology, you can access the Internet at pretty good speeds. The cost still seems bit high at 10 bucks for two hours of Internet, but the idea is at least a fun one. Maybe on the flight back I will spring for it. Right now, it is too much for my meager travel budget.

It has been over two years since I last boarded a commercial airplane for a flight. Most of my recent travel has been by car rather than plane. I’m not certain why that is but I guess I just like the open road. I like the open skies too but getting on a plane has become so much trouble it almost isn’t worth it. Perhaps the flight will be more like what remember and I will enjoy it. I will certainly enjoy the landing.

Today is a much better day today. It is sunny and 74 outside with some light clouds and a cool breeze. It sure beats yesterday as we had heavy rain, hail, fierce winds and worst of all - no Internet. Verizon was down and so was my 3G on the iPad. The Edge network kept flaking out and GSRM was dreadful.

Yup, I’m a geek.

I have always been a fan of Star Trek. I don’t keep that a secret at all. I have attended conventions, met with many of the stars of the various shows and even have a uniform (or three). Now the iPad has a program called LCARS Reader and it is exactly what I have dreamed of. A functional program that actually looks Trek. It has feeds for news, twitter and RSS. You can lookup Craigslist items and share photos too. It is a nice diversion and looks really futuristic on the desktop.

Besides, it keeps all of my coworkers guessing.