On 24 April, HAECO Americas officially opened its newest and state-of-the-art fifth hangar at Piedmont Triad International (PTI) Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina.
The opening ceremony was held inside the US$60M hangar, which spans 250,000 square feet and is the largest maintenance space within the HAECO Americas portfolio. At full capacity, the fifth hangar will employ an additional 500 more aircraft technicians and support staff.
The new hangar can accommodate up to eight next-generation narrowbody aircraft, or two next-generation widebody aircraft plus two next-generation narrowbody aircraft. The hangar will also receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified rating, in keeping with HAECO's commitment to its sustainability goals.


This was Fleaux Services 4th Annual family social event to collect canned food for the North West Louisiana Food Bank.
The event included live music, games, prizes, food and fun!
Sponsors for this event include: Tri-W Global, ABB Measurement, Badger Meter Inc., Canada Pipeline Accessories, Conquest Completion Services LLC, Exodus Stored Energy, FMS Sales, Gator Valve Inc., RWDY Inc., Carroll Compression, Commercial Radio Systems, Freewave, Industrial Electric Supply Inc., Parker Instrument Group, Canalta Controls Company, CSP Supply, Delta Fuel Company Inc., McSwain Material Handling, zdSCADA, Accounting Systems Consulting Group, Arther J. Gallagher &Co., Cintas, Moody-Price, Otto N. Grozinger LUTCF, Soileau Sales, Vintral Inc., and Tri-State Battery Supply.
Visit oilandgasbash.org for more information on the event!


As this series has already shown us, ornithological nomenclature is often a game of utter nepotism. Got a buddy whose birthday you forgot? Thinking about hitting someone up for a loan? Name a bird after them to butter them up! I'm pretty sure that both Machiavelli and Miss Manners have discussed the issue at length.
So when I mentioned the Eleonora's Falcon in my last post, you may have assumed that the name was a mother's day present, or an engagement gift from some impecunious ornithologist who couldn't afford a ring. I am pleased to report that this is not so! In fact, the Eleonora's Falcon is named after a little-known heroine from a little-known island – a woman of such talent and skill that she richly deserves to be remembered in the form of an eerily clever bird.
Eleonora of Arborea was the judge (effectively, the queen) of Arborea, which she expanded until it encompassed most of the island of Sardinia, from 1383 to 1404. Sardinia is an odd place which holds a special place in my heart as the site of my life Greater Flamingo and many other good memories). She is considered a Sardinian heroine even to this day – possibly because her reign was the last golden age, and after her death Sardinia lost its independence in short order. She created a constitution which was relatively progressive for its time. She also had an interest in ornithology – in particular, she banned the hunting of falcons. This may have been a move on her part to ensure that falcon possession was restricted to favored nobles, but even if so, that only puts her on par with Theodore Roosevelt.
A unique bird named for a unique woman. What could be better than that?


Acacia is really a beautiful wood species like no other. The light and dark variations allow for it to be one of the best floors for matching with existing woodwork. For a more of a modern farmhouse style be sure to pair this with painted cabinets or smooth grains such as maple.
I really like this one for the durability. Similar style as American Walnut with double the hardness. If you live an active lifestyle, you'll love this floor!
9 Mile Creek floors perform really great in drier climates due to the HDF core which is less susceptible to low humidity. This floor is an amazing value and really packs a punch above its weight.
The 9 Mile Creek Collection melds our best selling charactered solid wood into an engineered structure allowing it to be installed over any hard surface on all levels of your home or office by improving the stability and resilience to environmental changes.
This Asian Walnut hardwood flooring gives you all of the attraction of the Acacia wood in a wide stylish plank. The natural variance in this wood will bring a little bit of nature into your kitchen or living room. The art of a hand scraped texture provides excellent value in high traffic areas by hiding minor imperfections which will accumulate over time. The clear coat prefinished look highlights Acacia's natural variations including inherent characteristics such as knots and genuine mineral streaks. This Hand Scraped Acacia hardwood flooring is kiln dried using state-of-the-art German machinery and backed up by a fifty-year surface and lifetime structure warranty giving your home the safety and protection to fit your rugged lifestyle.


Men's Darco short sleeve running top features ActiveCool moisture-wicking technology to help keep you cool and comfortable during your run.
• Standard fit for relaxed comfort.
• 4-way stretch construction moves better in every direction.
• Material wicks sweat & dries fast.
• Active brandmark on left bottom.


05/22/2015: A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden belt at the Imam Ali Mosque in Al Qudaih neighborhood, Qatif city, Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. In addition to the bomber, 22 people were killed and 100 others were injured in the blast. The Najd Province of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident.
"Turkey sides with Saudi to fight terrorists after mosque attack," Xinhua General News Service, May 23, 2015."
"Saudi IDs bomber after kingdom's deadliest attack in years," Agence France Presse -- English, May 23, 2015."
"Shiite mourners mass in Saudi Arabia for bomb victim," Associated Press International, May 30, 2015."


Sam Whiting Aug. 22, 2018 Updated: Aug. 22, 2018 2:03 p.m.
Mark Jayson Quines was just getting started on a photography project on "sneaker culture" when he walked out the front door of his Daly City home and saw a young boy walking past dangling a pair of Air Jordans from his fingertips.
Quines offered to trade him a picture of Michael Jordan dunking for a picture of himself standing in the middle of the street with his shoes.
It was a good trade on both ends because that image sparked a five-year search by Quines (pronounced Kwee-nez) for the swoosh, whether it is on shoes hanging from a telephone wire or on an infant in a Nike bib for a family portrait.
The project, called "Nobody," won Quines $5,000 in a Philadelphia photo competition and an exhibit at SF Camerawork. Fifteen images by Quines form the first gallery of the Annual Juried Exhibition on display through Saturday, Aug. 25.
Quines was educated on athletic idols because he is a graduate of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo and was indoctrinated with the names of alumni Lynn Swann of Pittsburgh Steelers fame, San Francisco Giants great Barry Bonds and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Years later, after getting a degree in fine arts photography and working in both a camera store and a photo lab, he started noticing a recurrence of the Nike swoosh or the Jordan "Jumpman" in the foreground of film he was developing.
"The brand is wrapped up with the symbol of greatness in Jordan and what it means in urban communities," says Quines , who searched out the swoosh in urban Los Angeles, Honolulu, Chicago and London.
Quines went to Chicago to shoot Jordan's number, 23, as the crest on the gates to his mansion. He went to New York to photograph people attending a class in "Obsessive Sneaker Disorder (OSD)," at a shoe store called Jordan Heads Brooklyn.
Quines once had a bad case of OSD himself. He can remember taking BART to San Francisco and waiting in line for an hour to be first through the door for a new shoe release.
Quines still has the iPhone app that offers a stock ticker for shoe prices and sales, and he still wears Nike trainers, but they are worn out, a sign that he has outgrown his OSD.
The Nike project is ongoing, and one person eager to see where it goes is Corey Keller, curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Keller, along with artist Sean McFarland, selected Quines and 10 other photographers — Amy Cella, Lindsey Filowitz, Analía Gutiérrez, ALEXANDMUSHI, J.K. Lavin, Rachel Liu, Alana Perino, Gary Thompson, Michael Thurin and Mitsu Yoshikawa — from among 350 entries for the contest at SF Camerawork.


Men's Ministry - "Get Healthy Series"
Begins Sunday, April 12th, 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Room 21 upstairs. Sign up at the Info-Network. Seating is limited.
A variety of classes are offered throughout the year to train and equip men. Band of Brothers is a small group fellowship that connects men by providing assistance to widows and single moms. Special events include prayer breakfasts, fishing trips, Father-Daughter Night Out, etc.


text:
package main

import (
	"bytes"
	"compress/gzip"
	"errors"
	"fmt"
	"io/ioutil"
	"log"
	"os"
	"os/exec"
	"path/filepath"
	"runtime"
	"time"

	tuf "github.com/flynn/flynn/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/flynn/go-tuf/client"
	tufdata "github.com/flynn/flynn/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/flynn/go-tuf/data"
	"github.com/flynn/flynn/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/inconshreveable/go-update"
	"github.com/flynn/flynn/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/kardianos/osext"
	cfg "github.com/flynn/flynn/cli/config"
	"github.com/flynn/flynn/pkg/random"
	"github.com/flynn/flynn/pkg/tufutil"
	"github.com/flynn/flynn/pkg/version"
)

const upcktimePath = "cktime"

var updateDir = filepath.Join(cfg.Dir(), "update")
var updater *Updater

func runUpdate() error {
	if updater == nil || !version.Tagged() {
		return errors.New("Dev builds don't support auto-updates")
	}
	return updater.update()
}

type Updater struct {
	repo     string
	rootKeys []*tufdata.Key
}

func (u *Updater) backgroundRun() {
	if u == nil {
		return
	}
	if !u.wantUpdate() {
		return
	}
	self, err := osext.Executable()
	if err != nil {
		// fail update, couldn't figure out path to self
		return
	}
	// TODO(titanous): logger isn't on Windows. Replace with proper error reports.
	l := exec.Command("logger", "-tflynn")
	c := exec.Command(self, "update")
	if w, err := l.StdinPipe(); err == nil && l.Start() == nil {
		c.Stdout = w
		c.Stderr = w
	}
	c.Start()
}

func (u *Updater) wantUpdate() bool {
	path := filepath.Join(updateDir, upcktimePath)
	if !version.Tagged() || readTime(path).After(time.Now()) {
		return false
	}
	wait := 12*time.Hour + randDuration(8*time.Hour)
	return writeTime(path, time.Now().Add(wait))
}

func (u *Updater) update() error {
	up := update.New()
	if err := up.CanUpdate(); err != nil {
		return err
	}

	if err := os.MkdirAll(updateDir, 0755); err != nil {
		return err
	}
	local, err := tuf.FileLocalStore(filepath.Join(updateDir, "tuf.db"))
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	plat := fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH)
	opts := &tuf.HTTPRemoteOptions{
		UserAgent: fmt.Sprintf("flynn-cli/%s %s", version.String(), plat),
	}
	remote, err := tuf.HTTPRemoteStore(u.repo, opts)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	client := tuf.NewClient(local, remote)
	if err := u.updateTUFClient(client); err != nil {
		return err
	}

	name := fmt.Sprintf("/flynn-%s.gz", plat)

	latestVersion, err := tufutil.GetVersion(client, name)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	if latestVersion == version.String() {
		return nil
	}

	bin := &tufBuffer{}
	if err := client.Download(name, bin); err != nil {
		return err
	}
	gr, err := gzip.NewReader(bin)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	err, errRecover := up.FromStream(gr)
	if errRecover != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("update and recovery errors: %q %q", err, errRecover)
	}
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}
	log.Printf("Updated %s -> %s.", version.String(), latestVersion)
	return nil
}

// updateTUFClient updates the given client, initializing and re-running the
// update if ErrNoRootKeys is returned.
func (u *Updater) updateTUFClient(client *tuf.Client) error {
	_, err := client.Update()
	if err == nil || tuf.IsLatestSnapshot(err) {
		return nil
	}
	if err == tuf.ErrNoRootKeys {
		if err := client.Init(u.rootKeys, len(u.rootKeys)); err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return u.updateTUFClient(client)
	}
	return err
}

// returns a random duration in [0,n).
func randDuration(n time.Duration) time.Duration {
	return time.Duration(random.Math.Int63n(int64(n)))
}

func readTime(path string) time.Time {
	p, err := ioutil.ReadFile(path)
	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
		return time.Time{}
	}
	if err != nil {
		return time.Now().Add(1000 * time.Hour)
	}
	t, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, string(p))
	if err != nil {
		return time.Now().Add(1000 * time.Hour)
	}
	return t
}

func writeTime(path string, t time.Time) bool {
	return ioutil.WriteFile(path, []byte(t.Format(time.RFC3339)), 0644) == nil
}

type tufBuffer struct {
	bytes.Buffer
}

func (b *tufBuffer) Delete() error {
	b.Reset()
	return nil
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Bristolians now have the option of paying for goods and services at over 350 firms in their city with the Bristol Pound. The new scheme, the UK's largest's alternative to sterling, aims to boost trade in the local economy.
But just how innovative is it for Bristol to have its own banknotes?
Not very, if this example from 1867 is anything to go by.
Following the birth of the Bank of England in 1694, many provincial banks were set up across England in the 18th and 19th centuries to facilitate a growth in commerce. The Bristol Bank, which printed ships on it's banknotes as a reminder of where the port city's wealth came from, was instrumental in financing Bristol's industrial growth and the slave trade.
The banknote displayed above is just one of a number of interesting artefacts in the new money gallery at the British Museum, which traces the history of this fascinating subject back to ancient times.
We've been using coins and other objects for the purposes of trade for thousands of years. But as the Bristol Bank note and other items in the gallery prove there has for a long time been an attempt to keep currency in the local economy.
I found it fascinating, for example, seeing coffee house tokens from the 17th century, specific to particular institutions in London and hailing from a time when there was no legal form of small change.
Many of these schemes have however been short lived. Whether the Bristol Pound survives in the long term remains to be seen. The fact that you can use it online is key and Bristol City Council is offering to pay it's staff in the currency. But will it just be seen as a novelty in a few years?


For over twenty three years, I have fought endlessly to obtain justice for accident victims throughout the northeast. I have stood up for the injured in countless courtrooms, making sure they are compensated for the pain they have suffered due to someone else's negligence. I take great pride in assuring that those responsible for causing wrongful death or serious injury are held fully accountable under the law for the significant harm they caused.
I began my legal career in 1987, while interning for a New York State governmental agency negotiating disputes as a consumer advocate. At that time, I decided I would fight hard for the everyday people who were often bullied by large corporations and insurance companies. I worked during the day as a paralegal in a medical malpractice firm and attended law school at night. Soon, I became an integral member of an exceptional litigation team at one of the nation's oldest law firms, mastering the many skills necessary to win court battles.
Since my admission to the bar in 1993, I have successfully represented thousands of clients in cases involving personal injury and professional liability. These include automobile accidents resulting in death or serious bodily injury, including trucking, pedestrian, motorcycle, hit & run, and uninsured or underinsured motor vehicle accidents; premises liability cases such as slip, trip and falls, snow & ice, sidewalk or store falls, and ceiling collapses. as well as negligent security or display matters; dog bite or other animal attacks; construction site injuries; assault and batteries; explosions & burns; lead paint, mold or other toxic chemical exposures; medical or other professional malpractice; products liability; wrongful death; and a variety of other accident cases. Over the years, I have collected millions of dollars for the plaintiffs both at trial and through aggressive litigation culminating in a rewarding settlement.
In addition, I have taught law courses to both attorneys and the general public, including educating local youth as well as foreign attorneys about our great system of justice.
Federal Court, E.D.N.Y. and S.D.N.Y.
I enjoy adventure travel & sports, as well as learning foreign languages such as Russian, Italian, and Spanish.
As one of New Hampshire's and Vermont's law firms exclusively representing accident victims, we have the power, knowledge and experience to help our clients obtain the results they deserve. Rest assured that we will use every resource available to help you in your time of need and to maximize your ultimate recovery.
Attorney Matthew Newborn has recovered millions for his clients. He can help you get the money you deserve.


CALIFORNIA SHAKEOUT – WHERE IS YOUR FAULT?
July's 5.4-magnitude Chino Hills Earthquake was a jolting reminder that we all need to prepare for the "big one". It is no secret that California is riddled with earthquake faults. Click here for a map which shows seven of the faults with the probability of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake. Scientists have been reporting to us for some time now that we are due for a significant (big) earthquake. The southernmost section of the San Andreas Fault, which is just east of downtown Los Angeles, undergoes a major shift every hundred and fifty years or so. The last serious earthquake was about 100 years before Los Angeles was founded. So, Los Angeles is approximately 178 years overdue for the "big one".
There is no doubt that when a serious earthquake strikes, and it is only a matter of time, millions of California citizens will be left without tap water, freeways and bridges will crumble and fall and hundreds of fires will likely break out. The 1994 Northridge earthquake registered a magnitude of 6.7, killed 57 people and caused over 20 billion dollars in damage.
To get our attention, geologists and others have developed the Great Southern California Shakeout, which is taking place this week.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 13, 2008, geologists hope that more than five million people around Los Angeles will participate in a disaster drill built around a mock 7.8 magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas fault. The Great Southern California Shakeout is being billed as the largest earthquake preparedness event in U.S. history. For more information, go to Shakeout.org. The big question is whether or not your homeowner association(s) are prepared for the big one.
We really do not recommend that associations get in the position of taking responsibility for storing emergency supplies, etc. More likely then not, those supplies will not be available when the earthquake actually hits, and the association will likely be blamed for not making sure that things were taken care of.
There are other things that associations can do to be prepared for a major earthquake. Members of the board of directors and others at the association can make sure that they know where the gas turn off is, for example. This would apply to other utilities as well.
Someone at the association should know how to manually open any gates that are operated mechanically as there is a big possibility there will be no power to operate those gates.
Apartment style condominium associations and especially highrises can make sure that they have clearly marked where emergency exists are located, that fire sprinklers are working, etc.
And then there is the earthquake insurance issue!


Here you can see the old and new Colosseum in Rome. I suppose everyone knows the first. The second was built for the world exposition (that didn't take place because of the second World War) during the reign of Mussolini.


text:
Social Networking With Strangers
There's a well-known saying attributed to the poet and playwright William Butler Yeats: "There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met."
As social networking has evolved to encompass a significant amount of people's time on the Internet, divergent approaches to friending and following, sharing publicly and sharing selectively have emerged. Some networks have a solely synchronous relationship, where the bond can be broken unilaterally by either individual, but must be initiated by one and accepted by another, while others are asynchronous, meaning one can follow the content you make available publicly, even if you don't explicitly pass approval.
The two best-known social networks that primarily rely on a synchronous relationship are Facebook and LinkedIn, preceded by sites like Friendster and MySpace. In September, Facebook introduced a "Subscribe" feature, which is asynchronous, but to be counted as "friend", the connection must be mutual. LinkedIn connections are also mutual.
Other services, including, most notably, Twitter, but also FriendFeed and Google+, have used asynchronous relationships. For Twitter and FriendFeed, anybody who ran into your content, whether following you directly, or discovering it through search or friend recommendations, could respond to it via a Like, a Retweet, a Comment or Share. The same is true for public posts on Google+, while sharing to limited circles on Google+ reduces the visibility to those you have explicitly selected.
(Disclosure of course: I am on the Product Marketing team at Google+, and joined in August. Comments I make about the service and other social products are done with the best of intentions to be fully accurate.)
That people you don't explicitly know or have a mutual relationship with can engage on your content can be a surprise, or even unnerving, to some users. While Twitter has seen user following numbers vault into the tens of thousands or even millions for some celebrities, not all have embraced the interest of being followed by the masses, who are often simply people interested in you or your content, not necessarily bad actors. Not blurring the lines of a "friend", Twitter calls them "followers", while FriendFeed calls these people "subscribers", relating a connection between the individual and your content, not necessarily you.
Those used to an asynchronous model are used to connections with strangers, while others used to a synchronous model are often quite verbal about what is perceived as an onrush of random connections. As Google+ has been in the market for about six months, many users have been quite surprised at the high number of people who have them in circles, and I've seen some say they block those they don't know. But as someone who has engaged in both models, the value comes from learning who sees your content, and what that means - especially on a network like Google+, where you can fine tune what content reaches which people.
Who Are These People Following Me? (via SocialStatistics)
For me, the overwhelming majority of people I interact with on social networks are people I met first through the web. I have made tremendous real-life friendships that started out as an online only relationship to start, through reading one another's blogs, leaving comments, following people on Twitter and Google Reader, or any other myriad of places. Many of the colleagues I have now at Google are people who I knew years prior through FriendFeed, Twitter and their blogs, helping me continue the conversation when we finally met, rather than starting cold.
Not all online relationships turn into real life relationships later, of course, and not everything you share should reach everyone, particularly people you don't know well.
On Twitter, if someone follows you, and your feed is public, your content is shared with them. The exception is when you may be doing @replies to a person they don't follow as well. It makes sense to share on Twitter what you assume all your followers would see.
On Facebook, your publicly shared content is available to your friends and those who are subscribers to your public content. To share more selectively, choose one of the lists you have created. Strangers who follow you should not have access to this content, so you are at lower risk of oversharing if you use lists.
On Google+, your publicly shared content is available to all people who have you in circles, anyone who browses your profile or anyone who has a direct link to your content. To share your content without reaching strangers, you have multiple options, including sharing to any individual, any circle, to all your circles, or even extended circles, which reaches all those people you follow and those they follow. You can share as widely or as thinly as you like, and keep your content safe.
The goal is to share the right content with the right people. As people who you may not know add you, they are opting in to your public content, and nothing more. They don't get any additional access to your contact information, photos or shares, and like Facebook and FriendFeed, you can moderate any comments in your stream, to remove spam or other unwanted feedback.
There's no downside to new people asking to have access to your public shares, even if you don't know them yet - and you just might be surprised about the relationships you build in the future. The requirement on your end, on any service, and trust me, I've tried just about all of them, is knowing what you are sharing and with whom. It's our job, and those of other products on the web, to make this simple and easy.
You can connect with me on Google+ by going to http://www.louisplus.com. Howdy, stranger.
Labels: Facebook, Friendfeed, Google, Plus, privacy, social, social media, Social Networking, Twitter
Time Shifting In a World of Realtime
Nearly three short years ago, the buzz word du jour in tech was "realtime". Real time discovery. Real time search. Real time serendipity. The explosion of interest in social sharing tools like Twitter, Facebook and FriendFeed (remember this was early 2009) had people (myself included) saying that "Delayed news will no longer be acceptable for early adopters, who will gravitate to the quickest sources of news, wherever they may be." In practice, while this has occasionally been true, I've found a completely divergent innovation to play as big a role in the way I (and others) consume news content and entertainment - that of time shifting, which has remained valuable at a time when most real-time search engines have pivoted or vanished.
Best exemplified by TiVo and other DVRs, preceded by the creaky VCR, the act of consuming media at a time much after its initial airing is so commonplace that live viewings are so uncommon that friends often tiptoe around current storylines for top shows. In some social circles, only the most breaking drama series get the "day it actually aired" treatment - like Breaking Bad, Dexter or Homeland, while everything else goes to TiVo, to be consumed later. (Obviously, I saw the season finales for Dexter and Homeland last night)
News, with some exceptions, can be similarly stored away for later viewing, be it through RSS readers or on your social network of choice. One must not be glued to the real time stream to make sure you don't miss anything. Instead, the RSS reader traps your own hand-picked links, ready for viewing when you get the opportunity, not necessarily tied to their time of posting.
On the big screen, movies may bank on a massive opening weekend, but with consumers having so many options for entertainment sources, it's common to see people mention they'll "wait for Netflix", which could be months or years away, content to save a few dollars while also getting the comfort of watching in their own home. And if you do find yourself suddenly interested in a show your friends have been seeing which has been out a few seasons, don't fret, as you can, in almost all cases, catch up - tapping into many options, be they Netflix, Hulu, Xfinity, iTunes or Android Market.
This fall, I made it a personal mission to watch all of Mad Men, after hearing people go on and on about its quality. I powered through it with many late-night Netflix marathons. After finally ordering Showtime, I caught up on this season's Dexter on Xfinity, and then did the same for Homeland. If my wife misses her favorite shows, she can do the same, tapping into the various video repositories on the web, including the big three networks, typically slower to adapt to the innovation of the web.
I watch my evening talk shows 3 to 5 in a row, from Jon Stewart to Conan, fast forwarding through commercials and skipping uninteresting guests - efficiently getting the best and skipping the rest. It's almost the same approach I take to my RSS reader or activity on the social networks, skimming, reading, clicking and leaving no prisoners. Even if I'm not constantly connected, and I do a good job of getting close, I don't feel this sense of missing something.
Realtime reactions to breaking news events, kicked off by an initial discovery, and then rattling around search engines and social media, can't be duplicated by time shifted content, but for most buckets of content, be they text, audio or video, the drive to be first and in the mix of the story as it is interpreted and curated, is not essential. Advents in information and content sharing over the last few years have instead made "on demand" a reality, getting me what I want when I want it, not when someone else decides for me.
Labels: Collecta, Facebook, OneRiot, Realtime, Search, TiVo, Twitter
Winning Unconventionally
No two fingerprints, people, or businesses are exactly alike. While learning from the experiences of others can be illuminating and inspiring, your own challenges are unique, and following a path previously trod may not deliver you the same outcome. Often, taking an unconventional approach can deliver results far beyond those anyone anticipated, and your differentiation can start to be part of your story.
While Microsoft was building a dominating market share position for operating systems through licensing its software to OEMs, one of Steve Jobs' first moves upon returning to Apple was to discontinue licensing of the Mac OS to 'clones' including Motorola and Power Computing. The clones were not, in fact, helping the Mac increase market share, but were cannibalizing Apple, and going a different way was needed. Jobs similarly canceled the Newton handheld, and pushed the company to focus on a select few products, and do them extremely well.
More recently, on a backdrop of failed P2P networks from Kazaa to LimeWire and others, when music peddlers argued customers want to own their songs instead of stream them, Daniel Ek and the Spotify team created a subscription-based streaming service on the back of P2P technology, and are now valued at a billion dollars, while the company is still in its youth.
Square unconventionally found a solution for a universal adapter for wireless payments by determining the one similarity between all smartphones was an audio port. Instagram differentiated through elegant display and an array of filters that made casual photographers feel like artists. Path discarded the trend of wide sharing and focused on a more intimate network - discarding the status quo of the time.
On this backdrop, turning away from tech and toward sports, if you'll allow it, we come across one of the more intriguing storylines in recent football memory, as Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, believed to be a below-average professional passer with almost no experience, but a robust college resume, as well known for his spirituality as anything else, has rattled off six consecutive wins in remarkable fashion, sparking his team to the division lead after a moribund start.
In an era when leading signal-callers are posting 300 and even 400 yards passing per game, Tebow has famously won games where he has thrown for less than 100. He won one game without a single completion in the first half, and has become as feared an offensive weapon for his running game - posting 118 yards in a game on November 6th, and amassing more than 500 yards rushing over nine games. What Tebow has managed to do, despite all the critics and low expectations, is largely avoid mistakes (see only 2 interceptions against 198 completion attempts) and keep his team in the game, acting as a riddle for opposing defenses.
Those who've been talking about the Tebow phenomenon across the country in recent months (and I've had this post in my to-do pile for several weeks) note that the Broncos' turn-around has not been solely due to one man's effort. The team's defense has been outstanding, letting four of the last five team wins come despite 17 or fewer points, including a 13-10 victory yesterday over the Bears. In fact, yesterday's game saw the team kicker smash two field goals of fifty yards or more, including a 59 yarder at the end of regulation, and the 51 yarder that won the game in overtime. Regardless, the team is winning unconventially, changing the rules to match the talent set provided. To ask Tebow to throw for 300 plus yards, and look downfield on the majority of plays doesn't seem to be where he's best suited and the team's record of win after win shows the differentiated approach is working. Even the most casual football and sports fans has to be intrigued by the seeming magic that is happening in Denver.
Back the world of Silicon Valley and entrepreneurs, there are few sure things, except for the knowledge that your challenges and opportunities are in a combination previously unseen. For every superstar like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, there are players like Tim Tebow, who can leverage their talents and drive the most possible out of their own abilities, if empowered and given the opportunity. There's plenty to read on best practices of doing a startup or architecting a successful social network or going viral, but sometimes it takes a different path - an unconventional approach - to the problem, to achieve something incredible.
Labels: Football, Innovation, Sports, Startups, Technology
Remember, Remember, the Month of November
Hey! Did you guys miss me?
As I wrote up about six weeks ago in my post Hey! Didn't You Use to be a Tech Blogger?, I've relaxed my typical always-on routine for the blog, spending much more time with Google+ (obviously), and keeping the occasional downtime I do have focused on something other than blogging. I still hear plenty of interesting tech news from startups and more established players, which in previous years I'd have stopped everything to write up, but given my more visible role at Google, and other priorities, for the most part I'm letting the rest of the tech world pick those up. But that doesn't mean I've got nothing to share.
In November, probably the most incredible story to tell is the one about how my car, which you may remember I bought from Robert Scoble back in 2009, and had just added personalized plates to last month, got completely wrecked, in my own driveway. While I told the full story on Google+ on November 7th, when it happened, the reality of it is still pretty nuts, and I've retold it several times.
I was watching the kids around 7:30 Monday night, getting ready to put them to bed, when I heard a shockingly loud boom from what I thought was the intersection near my house. I ran out the front door and found the accident was actually in my driveway. A massive boulder that had lined our walkway had been struck by a Toyota Tacoma, which popped it out of its cement foundation and launched it 15 or so feet into the air, where it came into full contact with my car, smashing the back left door, permanently bending the frame, and breaking in half. The Tacoma left skidmarks in my driveway, gashed the trunk and came to a rest against a tree bordering our property with the neighbors'. Amazingly, nobody was hurt, even though the driver's air bags had deployed.
Long story short, the police came by and handled him, while I dealt with insurance the next few days and weeks. Insurance did well, and actually paid me more to replace the car than I had paid to buy it. So I had the tow truck get my car, and I got a newer model of the same car with a new car, and won't end up paying much for the swap. Nobody was hurt, and I got a new car out of it, so I won't complain too much. That said, you have to see the pictures. It's crazy.
My Car, Mashed Up By a Big Rock, via a Vehicle Interloper
While I've spent a lot of time during the day in Mountain View, I get the great pleasure of coming home to increasingly amusing and amazing kids. Braden, the youngest of our three, has far surpassed the grub stage and is now walking up a storm, so we have no crawlers. While I could be wistful about passing one milestone, he is a delightful kid and I was more than happy to share a video I took of him walking last month. If kids are your thing, it's worth the minute to see.
In my time of keeping silent on the blog, I've opened up a Google Doc that has a list of ideas for posts that I'll get to quickly. There's been no push from corporate for me to be quieter here, and I've made that choice myself, but you'll see some interesting things pop up soon. Just wanted to share with you some of the lowlights and highlights from the last month. Braden waves at you.
Labels: Family, Personal

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Hello Kitty HelloKitty is a very interesting and informative Android app for users especially the little girls. Hello Kitty being a brand and an animated cat icon is quite famous amongst the young generation. This app provides the users with photographs of Hello Kitty that can be downloaded for free and can be used for various purposes like putting it up as desktop wallpapers. The icon Hello Kitty is considered sweet and cute as it is projected as a little girl kitten and fondly called Hello Kitty. Many users are as big fans of the icon Hello Kitty and they prefer to gift their children with Hello Kitty Cakes that are loved by the little girls.


Marks and Spencer has agreed to become one of the anchor stores at the stalled Broadway development in Bradford.
The retailer will take a 60,000 sq ft store on the northern side of the scheme, anchoring the Eastbrook and Petergate malls.
Retail developer Westfield had halted work on the construction of the centre in 2008 but has now revamped its plans for the £275 million development. Plans for a scaled down version of the original scheme will be submitted to the local council this week.
Westfield said that the new plans were more deliverable and that once planning permission was obtained more retailers would sign up to the scheme. It is believed that construction may restart as early as the first quarter in 2012.
Peter Miller, chief operating officer at Westfield, said: "We are very pleased that Marks and Spencer have committed to taking one of the two anchor stores at our Bradford development, demonstrating their confidence in the city."
He continued: "There has been strong interest from retailers who are keen to take space in the scheme and we look forward to announcing further signings in the future.
"This scheme will deliver significant investment in Bradford and create thousands of permanent new jobs for the community."